When the bough breaks
by kitten skysong
Summary: After Tommy and Jason share an intimate moment, Tommy's father punishes him in brutal fasion. Contains a rape scene
1. One

One

Tommy Oliver leaned back against the tree in the center of his back yard, looking up at the night sky. The stars were beginning to come out one by one in a spectacular display of light. He wondered, not for the first time since moving to Angel Grove, how many of them had civilizations.

"I never noticed how many stars you can see from here,' Jason Scott said from the other side of the tree.

"Really?" Tommy looked around the tree at his best friend frowning.

"Kind of makes me remember when I was a kid and my grandparents would tell me wishing on stars made my wishes come true." Jason looked over at Tommy with a sudden grin. "So, what would you wish for?"

Tommy laughed, "That the Machine Empire gets a computer virus. What about you?" He wasn't really being serious. While he knew better than anyone that magic existed in the world, Tommy didn't really believe wishing on a star would do anything. Jason's next sentence floored him, though.

"I wish I could kiss you." Now Tommy got up and moved to sit beside his friend. Jason looked over at him his dark eyes full of sorrow. "I just said that out loud didn't I?"

"Jase, are you… you're not gay, are you?" Tommy kept the shock out of his voice. He'd seen Jason with plenty of girls, enough that he'd never even suspected that his best friend might not be completely straight. Not that it mattered either way to him. Tommy believed it was no one's business who people dated or did not date, except for maybe the people doing the dating.

Jason groaned and closed his eyes. "Oh, don't I wish, and no joke I really wish I was gay. I have wanted to kiss you since we met, but I want to kiss Emily, too. Tommy, I'm confused most of the time."

Tommy considered things for several minutes, glancing nervously at the house behind them. The curtains were all closed though, and he didn't see anyone. The thing was, he wasn't sure he wanted to be kissed by a guy. Plus, if his father ever found out… Tommy didn't even want to think about what would happen.

This was Jason, though, who looked so lost and afraid right now. Jason who had been his best friend ever since he had destroyed the Sword of Darkness and freed Tommy from Rita's spell. Jason who had always been there when Tommy had needed him. Even listening to Tommy cry about his breakup over the phone when Jason had been in Switzerland.

"All right," he said softly. "Alright… what?" Jason asked.

"Well, I'm not sure I want to be kissed by a guy, but you're my friend so I think I will let you kiss me just once… because we're friends… but just once." Tommy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wasn't sure what to expect. After all, he had never kissed a guy before.

Jason took Tommy's face in his gentle hands. "Are you sure?" Tommy nodded and Jason's lips were suddenly on his.

The kiss was gentle and sweet; nothing hard about it. After a moment, Jason deepened it, pressing his tongue questionly against Tommy's lips. Tommy let his mouth open slightly and felt Jason slip inside for just a moment. Tommy started returning the kiss half-heartedly, and Jason broke it as if sensing Tommy wasn't really into it.

Pulling back, the Gold Ranger stroked the Red Ranger's cheek for a moment. "Thanks, bro."

"It's getting late," Tommy said softly.

He walked Jason through the gate to the front yard. "See you tomorrow, Tommy."

"Yeah… and Jase? Emily likes you."

"I know," he replied. With that, Jason walked across the street and waved to Tommy just before walking into his house.

There is a phrase: "life turns on a dime." Basically, this means life changes because of the smallest of things. For Tommy, that change came the split second after he looked away from the house and back at Jason.

He had looked for the simple reason that he knew his parents would react badly to him kissing Jason and he didn't want them to see him doing it. Unfortunately, his father had pulled the drape slightly open almost immediately after Tommy had looked. Just in time for Tommy to miss seeing him, but in time for him to see the kiss.

Life changes on a dime, in a split second. If Tommy had looked a bit longer, everything that followed might never have happened.

Kyle Oliver spent the next week making plans on how to nip what he had seen in the bud. He had long suspected Jason Scott was a pervert; the kiss cemented this opinion. While he was sure there was nothing he could do about the Scott boy, he knew he could stop Tommy from going down the same path.

He didn't want to send Tommy for conversion therapy. He was of the belief that it pushed patients into being gay rather than away from it. There was one way, though. One way that might keep Tommy from following Jason down that path.

Kyle spent another week laying the foundation for what he knew he had to do. His wife Nancy helped him get a few things he needed to pull it off. Like Kyle, she didn't want Tommy to choose homosexuality.

Monday morning, Tommy woke to the sound of his alarm clock blaring far too loudly. His head was pounding, and he felt extremely groggy. Far too groggy for someone who had gone to bed uncharacteristically early the night before.

He began to feel sick the night before, just after dinner. Weak and dizzy, he figured it was just exhaustion. The Rangers had been fighting back-to-back monsters for a few days, after all. He had gone to bed early to try to get a little more rest than usual.

Tommy tried reaching over to turn his alarm off, only to find out he couldn't move his arms. "What?" he asked, pulling on them. They were positioned above his head and tied with some kind of rope.

He took a breath and let it out slowly. "Don't panic. Try to figure out what's going on," he whispered to himself. It didn't take him long to figure out that his legs were tied as well. Tied to either side of the bed frame.

He was also lying on his stomach, which was weird. Tommy never slept on his stomach. He couldn't imagine he'd rolled over in the night and somehow tied himself up. This meant someone had done this to him.

The worst thing of all was the fact he was completely naked. This was even though he'd at least had on boxer shorts the night before. Panic gripped his heart in a vice, and he began to yell for his parents tugging on the ropes. "Mom! Dad!"

The bedroom door opened and Tommy raised his head to see Kyle standing in it. Kyle was wearing a blue robe that Tommy had given him for his birthday. "It's about time you woke up, son."

"Dad? What's going on? Is mom alright? Who did this? Help untie me!" Tommy tugged frantically at the ropes.

Kyle said nothing for a moment, just stared at Tommy with an expression that Tommy had never seen on him before. It made the young man's blood freeze. Tommy was about to speak when Kyle broke the silence. "Tommy, your mom's fine. She's out at the moment. We agreed that your punishment would be left to me."

"Punishment?" Tommy repeated, trying to make sense of what was happening. A sudden horrible thought occurred to him: the orange juice at diner and the weird aftertaste it had. "You drugged me."

"Smart boy." Kyle reached out and patted Tommy on the shoulder. Tommy twisted trying to pull free, as if his father's touch burned. "Too bad you're not smart enough. Kissing a boy in our own back yard?" Kyle made a tutting noise.

Sharp panic drove itself into Tommy's mind and heart. He yanked furiously at the ropes, making his bed rock back and forth with the force of it. All that he accomplished was bruising his wrists. "Dad, I'm sorry! Please let me go! PLEASE! I didn't even like the kiss. I was just curious."

Kyle shook his head. "Sorry, Peanut. I can't do that, spare the rod and spoil the child."

He bent over, picking something up off the floor. Tommy tried one more thing. If his dad was calling him Peanut – his childhood nickname – that meant he saw Tommy as a child. Maybe acting the part would get his father to see reason. "Daddy, I'm very, very sorry. May I please be untied?"

Kyle suddenly roared. "LYING FAGGOT!" He raised his arm, bringing it down and Tommy felt the sting of leather biting into his skin. Now he realized what his father had picked up; Tommy's own belt that had been tossed carelessly on the floor the night before.

"Shit," Tommy gasped out before his father began to beat him in earnest. Tommy screamed and begged, twisting with each blow. When it stopped, he was blubbering like a baby and praying that this was it. That his dad would let him go now.

Kyle wiped the tears from Tommy's face so gently that Tommy began to relax. What his father did next brought a whole new level of terror to the already tense situation.

The robe dropped, revealing what he had – or rather didn't have – on. Kyle was completely naked underneath the robe. "No. Oh, no," Tommy whimpered, horrified.

"I don't have any choice, Tommy. This is the only punishment that fits the crime. The only one that will stick. Don't worry, son. I'll be gentle." Kyle ran a hand up the inside of one of Tommy's thighs as he spoke.

Tommy shuddered at the touch and felt fresh tears pricking at the back of his eyes. This was not happening! His father had never even hit him before today. Now he was acting like he was going to... Tommy shied away from the thought, not wanting to finish it.

Kyle stepped out of Tommy's view and for a brief second Tommy let himself hope the worst was over. The shifting of the bed as his father climbed on between Tommy's spread legs shattered the hope. "NO! Don't do this! Please, ground me, beat me some more! Kick me out! I'll go! I'll go far away, and you'll never have to see me again!"

"Shut the fuck up." Kyle slapped his hand on the side of Tommy's head so hard that Tommy saw stars. "Take your punishment like a man!" He felt his father's hands spreading his butt cheeks open, then what could only be his father's cock pressing on his anus. He tightened his muscles, clamping his sphincter shut in a desperate hope that if Kyle couldn't get in, he'd stop this madness.

"This is going to hurt, Peanut." Kyle said in a cheerful tone of voice. He gave a hard thrust forward, breaking down Tommy's defenses and driving into the unprepared teen. Tommy screamed as a red-hot agony shot through him.

Kyle gave another hard thrust, making Tommy shriek again. A final thrust and Tommy felt his father's pelvis pushed against him and knew his father was all the way inside him. "Stop, please it hurts! Dad, you're hurting me!"

"Good," Kyle said with a groan. "It's not a punishment if it doesn't hurt."

Kyle began to move, setting a hard rhythm that made Tommy scream in pain with each thrust. Kyle reached around covering Tommy's mouth with one hand, muffling the teen's screams of agony.

Tommy clenched his fists so hard that blood welled up from where his nails pressed into his skin. He wished he would just pass out from the pain, but he didn't. He stayed awake to endure every moment of agony.

He grew hoarse from screaming, trailing off into whimpers of pain. He could feel what could only be blood running down his thighs and soaking the sheets beneath him. His nose was completely stuffed from crying and his father's hand was pressed so tightly to his mouth that Tommy could get no air.

Kyle seemed to notice this after a moment and removed his hand. Tommy gasped in air and then whimpered as his father increased his speed. As his head cleared slightly, Tommy became aware that he had an erection.

That seemed to be the worst thing; his own body betraying him. Tommy sobbed, wishing he could just die. Kyle's thrusts lost their rhythm finally becoming short and jerky.

Kyle gave a final thrust forward and let out a shout of pleasure before collapsing on Tommy's back gasping. Tommy felt something warm shoot into him and let out a weary moan.

"Now you know what being a faggot gets you," Kyle said sitting up. He slipped an arm around Tommy then pulled him up, making the ropes dig in so tightly that Tommy thought his hands would fall off.

"No more, no more, no more, no more," he begged as he felt Kyle's hand wrap around his erection.

"You've been very brave, Peanut, so you deserve a reward." The hand began gentle stroking that soon brought Tommy to orgasm. The teen went limp in his father's arms, completely broken by this final degradation.

Kyle stood up and left the room. He returned dressed and carrying a warm wet washcloth. He used the cloth to wipe Tommy gently down. "Can I go now? I have school," Tommy croaked out. He figured if he could get to school, he could tell a teacher what had happened.

"I'll call you in sick today. You will stay there, tied to that bed for the day and think about what you did. I'll untie you when I get home from the office. Your mother won't be back until morning." Kyle stood and left the room, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.

Tommy closed his eyes, sagging into the bed. He could feel more blood soaking into the sheets, then wondered distractedly just how bad he was bleeding. It seemed unimportant. He didn't hurt much anymore, and he wanted to drift into sleep.

Monday morning: Power Chamber.

Billy Cranston slid out from under the console and brushed himself off yawning. He had been asleep when Alpha contacted him. The alarm system in the Power Chamber that was supposed to warn of attack was going haywire. It kept warning of an attack but wouldn't say where the attack was occurring.

He hit the button, but the blaring began yet again. Gritting his teeth, he shut it down. "I don't get it! I've checked it six times. It's not even broken. In fact, it should be working perfectly."

"Perhaps there is a problem with the detection system?" Zordon boomed down questioningly.

Billy frowned. That gave him a crazy idea. He typed a command into the computer. "Billy, that's the command to release the privacy protocols from the monitoring of the Rangers," Alpha said, confused.

"It's just a hunch, but I want to check on each of them without the privacy filters. They might be blocking things that may be causing trouble. It could be as simple as one of them falling in the shower." Billy began to pull the Power Rangers up in the view screen one at a time.

Everything seemed normal at first. He found his friends showering, eating breakfast or still sleeping. Until he got to Tommy. The Red Ranger lay spread-eagled on his bed, his father standing over him. Billy could hear the older man's voice through the speakers, telling Tommy he could stay tied up all day.

Billy could see the blood spreading in a pool beneath his friend, too. "No. Oh, no." Billy lunged for the communication system.

Monday morning: Scott residence.

Jason had just finished pulling his clothes on after a morning shower, when his communicator beeped. Yawning and hoping that it wasn't another monster alert, he picked it up and responded. "What's up?"

"Jason, you need to get to Tommy NOW!" Billy's voice came across the system sounding panicked.

"What for? I'm picking him up in an hour. There's no way Tommy would be ready this early anyway. He probably won't even be ready an hour," Jason grumbled, knowing his friend's love of sleeping in and that he always ran late.

"He's… Jason he's going to bleed out. If I go, it risks exposure, but you can go check on him without too much suspicion." Billy was rambling now.

Jason felt his heart leap into his throat. "Alright. I'll run across the street and check on him." He didn't want to know what Billy had meant by bleed out. Surely it couldn't be that bad.

Looking around his room gave him the excuse he needed. Tommy's math book was perched on Jason's desk. He scooped it up and ran down the stairs calling to his parents that he was taking Tommy's math book to him.

He darted across the street, pausing only to find the spare key the Oliver's kept in a fake rock in the garden. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside. "Tommy?" he called. "Mr. Oliver? Mrs. Oliver?"

It was odd, he thought. Kyle Oliver usually didn't go to work until after the boys left for school. He should have been there. In fact, the door shouldn't have been locked and yet it had been.

Jason went up the stairs holding the math book in one hand. "Tommy, I think Billy had a nightmare about... you." He said the last word as he opened the door and saw his best friend.

Tommy lay on his bed tied with his legs apart and so much blood that it had turned the sheets crimson. It was also dripping onto the floor. He was ghastly white, which made the bruises on his back stand out in stark relief.

Jason felt the math book fall from his hand, heard it hit the floor. For a moment, he didn't want to process what he was seeing. There was so much blood! Jason didn't think anyone could lose that much blood and survive!

He darted to his friend's side. Going to his knees beside the bed, he checked for a pulse. When he found it, he breathed a sigh of relief. Tommy was alive, was breathing and had a pulse. Working frantically, he untied his friend from the bed.

"Tommy, can you hear me?" Jason shook his friend's shoulders. Tommy's eyelids fluttered and he let out a weak moan. "Stay with me, okay?" Turning, Jason raised his voice and yelled, "Someone help!"

Pulling his shirt off, he pressed it where the blood seemed to be coming from. Tommy – as weak as he was – began to fight. Jason pushed down harder and to his shock Tommy began to mutter. It was low but Jason could hear it. "No more, Dad. Don't hurt me again. Please, I won't kiss Jason again. Don't."

"Tommy, it's me. It's Jason. You're alright. SOMEONE HELP US!" Jason yelled again. Help. He had to get help, but he couldn't leave Tommy either. "I don't know what to do!" Jason's voice broke on a sob.

"Help." Tommy's eyes fluttered. "Get help, Jase, before my dad comes back."

Jason turned then, ran down the stairs, out the door and across the street. He yanked the door to his house open and burst inside. He slid to a stop in the kitchen and his mother leapt to her feet. "Jason! What happened? Are you hurt?"

He looked down and realized with something of a shock that he was covered in Tommy's blood. "It's not mine, Mom. It's Tommy! Tommy's hurt! He said his dad... it's bad! It's really, really bad."

Lisa Scott let go of her son and ran out of the room. Mark Scott leapt to his feet, grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911 as he followed his wife. Jason hesitated for a moment, then followed them.

Jason stood in the doorway to Tommy's bedroom, a hand pressed to his mouth watching his mother work frantically to keep Tommy alive. He listened to his father bark orders into his phone.

"Tommy, stay awake! I need you to stay with me, okay?" Lisa's voice was gentle but firm. She was fighting to stay calm. Ten years of experience as a trauma surgeon told her that Tommy was in serious trouble. She lacked the necessary equipment to treat him effectively and time was running out. "Tommy come on! Stay with me, honey."

"Leave me alone," Tommy's voice said, barely a whisper. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he began to shake. Lisa swore under her breath. Catastrophic blood loss meant there wasn't enough oxygen to getting to Tommy's brain. He was dying. The paramedics needed to get there soon or there would be no time left.

Jason heard the sirens and ran down stairs. Opening the door, he saw the ambulance pulling up in front of the house. Leading the way, he took the two women who climbed out of the vehicle up to Tommy's room. The older of the two checked Tommy's pulse then started an IV. "Do you know his blood type?"

"I do. We did a school project on it. It's O Negative." Jason responded. The younger woman spared him a glance. "Are you hurt?"

Jason shook his head. "It's not my blood." She nodded and turned back to the figure on the bed, joining her partner in opening the cooler they had bought with them. Reaching in, she pulled out a plastic bag full of blood.

They hooked it up to the IV with the younger one holding it up while the older one put a bandage on Tommy. They lifted him onto the gurney and rushed him out the door. Lisa ran after them. "I'm a doctor! I'm coming with you!"

Two cops were called in because of the nature of Tommy's injuries, and they began to string up crime scene tape. Mark put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "They're going to want to question you about what you saw when you first came in to Tommy's room."

Jason wiped his eyes. "Can it wait? Dad, it's Tommy. I can't... I can't breathe it hurts so bad, Daddy."

He hadn't called his father Daddy in years. Mark held out his arms and Jason flung himself into them, sobbing. Mark held him close, murmuring into his son's ear that everything would be alright. Jason sobbed into his father's chest. Tommy was going to die, and it was all his fault.

Lisa couldn't do much except monitor Tommy's vitals and keep him stable. She and the paramedic who had climbed into the back with Tommy attached a second unit of blood. She didn't like Tommy's color and his pulse was thready and weak. The heart monitor gave a steady rhythm, which was a good sign, at least

Tommy was in and out of consciousness. When he was awake, he muttered and fought. When he was out, he was far too still, with only the movement of his chest attesting to the fact he was alive. Lisa brushed Tommy's hair off his forehead, remembering the first time she'd seen this gangly kid that Jason had brought home. He'd filled out since then and put on weight, but he was still in a lot of ways that same kid.

He had spent so much time at her house, even helping with chores while Jason had been in Switzerland. Lisa thought of him as a second son. She wanted to strangle Kyle Oliver for doing this. A beeping sound filled the ambulance and she shot a frantic glance at the monitor. "Shit, he's flat lining!"

Lisa grabbed a pair of paddles, rubbed gel on them then pressed them to Tommy's chest. "CLEAR!" Tommy's back arched as the electricity passed through him. Lisa checked the monitor and felt his pulse. She increased the voltage and delivered a second charge. This one had the desire

effect. Tommy's heart rate returned to normal sinus. "He's losing blood almost faster than we can put it in! He needs surgery ASAP! Radio ahead tell the hospital we need an OR as soon as we arrive!"

They rushed through the hospital doors and the paramedics read off vitals, defibrillated twice and two units of O negative were given. Lisa spotted her boss, John Jackson. "John, he needs surgery now! He's losing blood fast! I need to get in and repair the damage!"

John looked down at the boy on the gurney. "This is Jason's friend?" Lisa nodded. "You once said he was like family. Are you sure you can be effective working on him?"

"Damn it, John! I'm the best surgeon you've got! Tommy won't survive unless we move now! I examined him as best I could on the scene, and from what I could see whoever did this tore him up badly. I need to get in there and find out just how much."

Something in her voice made him step back, letting her and Tommy past and into the elevator. Upstairs, she ordered him prepped for surgery while she scrubbed in.

Two hours later.

The Rangers had gathered along with Tommy's brother in the waiting room. Jason had changed his clothes and sat between the two girls. Katherine Hilliard was sitting with one leg pulled up on the seat idly playing with her hair. On his other side, Tanya Sloan was chewing her nails, something the others had never seen her do.

Rocky Dasantos sat across from them with Adam Park beside him. Billy sat on Rocky's other side, his eyes red from crying. David Trueheart – Tommy's long-lost brother so recently found – paced restlessly around the room. The others had tried several times to get him to sit down. He would sit for a minute or two, then jump up and begin pacing again.

"You know what gets me about all this," Rocky said, suddenly breaking the silence. "Kyle Oliver hurting Tommy… I just can't wrap my head around that. I mean, he's the guy who pulled Tommy out of school when the flu was going around last year, remember? Why would someone like that do something like this?"

"He did it because of me," Jason said so dejectedly that the others turned to face him. "This is my fault."

David stopped pacing and dropped down in front of Jason so he could look the seated teen full on. "No. No, it's not. Just because you have a crush on my brother doesn't make any of this your fault."

Jason's head snapped up. "How-"

"I have eyes," David said with a half-smile. "You look at Tommy as if he was something precious."

"It's my fault this happened," Jason repeated dully.

"No-" David insisted.

"I kissed him!" Jason blurted out. "I kissed Tommy! It was stupid and reckless especially since I kissed him in his back yard! I knew Kyle Oliver was a bigot. I knew and I still told Tommy I wanted to kiss him! He said yes, but only because we're friends. I could tell the moment our lips met that he wasn't into it." Jason buried his face in his hands.

David grabbed Jason by the shoulders forcing him to sit up "Look at me!" Jason tried to twist away. "LOOK AT ME!" Finally, Jason looked up. "None of this is your fault, okay? None of it! You kissed a guy, so what? If you're to blame for the kiss, what about Tommy? Is he to blame because he let you? The only person to blame here is the person who chose to rape my brother. Got it?"

"But..." Jason began. David growled in frustration and kissed the Gold Ranger.

When David pulled back Jason muttered, "Ok, that was unexpected."

"Sorry, but I've wanted to do that for months." David reached up and brushed a hand gently down Jason's cheek. "None of this is your fault, okay?"

"Okay," Jason whispered and then seeing someone over David's shoulders spoke louder. "Mom?"

Lisa stood in the doorway, still in surgical scrubs. She looked exhausted. David leapt to his feet. "My brother?"

She met David's eyes and then looked around the room at the other teens. "Tommy lost a great deal of blood. We had to give a total of three units. His heart stopped twice; once in the ambulance and once during the surgery. We were able to get it started both times. The damage was extensive. Tommy fought hard, but that only made his injuries more severe. I had to remove his colon and some of his intestines." She paused for a moment.

Billy spoke into the silence of that moment. "But… doesn't he need that stuff?"

Lisa sighed. "No, he can live without it. He has a hole in his abdomen now and he'll have a bag to catch waste. I did my best but I'm only a surgeon. David, you can see him if you like but only for five minutes. The rest of you… I'm afraid right now I can only allow family. If any of you are O negative, though, you should donate. We used much of our blood supply on Tommy."

Adam stood up, "That would be me."

David stepped into the room where his brother lay on the hospital bed. David was shocked at just how bad his brother looked. Tommy was hooked up to a monitor that showed his heart beating steady. A tube ran from under his gown to a bag suspended beneath him. Another tube was down his throat. A third tube went into his nose and taped to his cheek.

An IV ran into one arm. It wasn't filled with blood, but David didn't think it was saline. "Antibiotics," Lisa said from behind David. "The tube down his throat is connected to some oxygen, we're giving him extra help because his heart stopped earlier. The tube in his nose is a feeding tube. He'll be on a liquid died for some time. I put in a catheter in case he doesn't wake up for a few days, that's the tube going below him."

David nodded. He reached out and took his brother's hand. There was no response, no reassuring squeeze. David didn't know what to do, what to say. He hadn't asked about brain damage; didn't want to ask about brain damage. He'd searched for so long to find his brother and losing him now would be a devastating blow. "Dr. Scott, he'll be okay, right?"

"He has a fighting chance. The next 24 hours will be the most critical." David squeezed his brother's hand. "Tommy, it's David. Don't leave me on my own, okay? I have to go, but I'll be back tomorrow." wiping his eyes he turned to Lisa. "I'm O negative. Where do I donate?"

Monday afternoon: Anderson-Oliver corporate law offices.

Kyle Oliver sat behind his desk feeling rather smug. Overall, it had been a great day. He had brokered a billion-dollar settlement which was going to give him a hefty commission and had ensured that his son would not be deviant.

He thought about how he had left Tommy tied to his bed and felt aroused. Maybe he'd go home early and give the kid another lesson. There was always the chance that one lesson wouldn't be enough.

There was a knock at the office door. "Come in," Kyle yelled.

The door opened and Mark Scott stepped in. He left the door open as he approached the desk. Kyle thought the guy looked pissed about something. Maybe he'd finally found out Jason was a fag.

"Kyle, I have a warrant for your arrest." Mark put a piece of paper on Kyle's desk.

He laughed, then realizing the other man wasn't joking, picked up the paper and read the warrant. His eyebrows snapped together. Tommy got loose? Wait until I get my hands on that kid!

He threw the paper back on the desk, "Sexual assault? Attempted murder? Just who am I supposed to have attacked?"

"Tommy's in critical condition at the hospital. He was in surgery for almost two hours while they tried to fix the damage you did to him. They had to perform a colectomy on him in the end." Mark paused. "He almost bled out on top of that."

Kyle looked at Mark in horror. He didn't even have to feign it; he was really horrified. He had noticed the blood when he'd been telling Tommy he could stay tied up. It hadn't seemed that bad at the time. He needed to be careful, though. "Tommy was fine when I left for work!"

"He was briefly conscious and told Jason that you did this. Kyle, just take your right to remain silent and come quietly."

By now a few secretaries and paralegals had gathered by the open door. Kyle ignored all of them. "To hell with that! I'm going to go check on my son! Has Nancy been informed? I need to call her."

Joe Anderson, the man who ran the law firm, pushed past the group of secretaries. "Back to work all of you!" They scattered. He looked Kyle up and down. "The best thing you can do is let him execute the warrant. I know a good criminal attorney and I'll give him a call."

"Nancy needs..." he started

"I'll take care of that." Joe put a hand on Kyle's shoulder. "I know there's no damn way you did this, and they can't take the word of someone who was probably not thinking straight. You'll be out in a couple of days max."

Kyle let Mark put the cuffs on him.

Monday afternoon: Angel Grove PD 4 precinct

Nancy Oliver stormed into the police station and up to her husband who was sitting beside a desk being questioned about Tommy's condition. "Bastard! You fucking bastard! You told me you were just going to SCARE him a little! Damn you to hell!"

She slapped Kyle. The sound was very loud in the suddenly quiet room. Mark stood, catching her around the waist and pulling her back. "Nancy, stop."

"Let me go! I'm going to claw his eyes out of his fucking head!" she twisted in Mark's grasp.

"Now, you know I can't let you do that!" He pulled her to the other side of the room and pushed her into a chair. Nancy resisted at first, then slumped in the chair while twisting her hands in her lap. "Nance, what did you mean Kyle told you he was going to scare Tommy?"

Nancy pulled a Kleenex out of her pocket and wiped her eyes. "Tommy and Jason kissed a couple of weeks ago." When Mark blinked in surprise, she sighed. "I guess you didn't know Jason was a fag"

"Don't call my son that!" Mark narrowed his eyes. "So they kissed and…"

"Kyle saw them, we talked and decided we needed to scare Tommy straight. 'Tough love,' Kyle had said. I got some pills from work and put them in Tommy's juice. Kyle was supposed to just tie him up and tell him what could happen if he if he kept going down the path to

homosexuality." Nancy's voice broke. "Just to SCARE him a little! Just a little, not do THIS!"

Mark sat down in the chair next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "You know, I'm going to have to arrest you."

Nancy nodded, sniffing. "Tommy is never going to forgive us. I bought… I bought some things for him. The cops at the house let me get him some clothes and I thought you could take them to him. Mark, will you and Lisa… will you take…" she trailed off.

Mark pushed her head onto his shoulder, letting her sob. "We'll look after Tommy as best we can." After a moment he asked, "Have you been to see him?"

"No, I... Joe called me at work. My boss gave me the week off almost as soon as I told him Tommy was hurt. I thought I'd get some clothes for him. I didn't think it would be that bad. I figured I'd be taking him home. But the house… there is blood everywhere in Tommy's room. I packed a bag but then all I could think was Kyle had done this. Next thing I knew I was storming in here."

Mark sighed heavily again. He wanted to let her go to her son, but there was still his duty as a cop to consider. "Lisa called me. Tommy's out of surgery. He has a chance, Nance."

Wednesday morning: Angel Grove memorial

Tommy's condition had been upgraded from critical but stable to just stable. He hadn't woken up, but his color was stable, as was his heart rate and blood pressure.

David spent every waking hour at the hospital. He was there now, skipping school to be with his brother and reading him a book of Shakespeare. Personally, David thought Shakespeare was boring. Tommy was the one who liked it.

He was reading Romeo and Juliet going through Mercutio's speech about Queen Mab when he glanced up. Tommy's eyes were open, and he was looking at David. David leaned forward. "Tommy?"

Tommy blinked. His mouth moved as if he was trying to speak, but because of the tube only garbled sounds came out. A look of bewilderment crossed Tommy's face. David grabbed his hand. "Tommy, it's okay." David hit the call button.

Lisa came in a moment later. Tommy looked at her and once again tried to speak. Lisa brushed Tommy's hair back off his face gently quieting him. She put her stethoscope on and listened to Tommy's chest.

"I'm going to take the breathing tube out. I need you to take a deep breath." Lisa grabbed the tube going down Tommy's throat. "Now exhale."

She pulled the tube smoothly out, making Tommy cough and gag. He took the water that a nurse offered him in a cup with a straw gulping it down eagerly. Finally, he was able to speak. "Hospital?"

"Yes," Lisa said gently. "Do you remember what happened?"

A look of bewilderment crossed Tommy's face and David felt his heart sink. If Tommy didn't remember, then Kyle Oliver was going to get away with it. Tommy met David's eyes the bewilderment was replaced by dawning horror. "It didn't happen!" Tommy burst out suddenly.

"It's alright." Lisa gathered Tommy in her arms. "It's going to be alright."

"It didn't happen! It didn't!" Tommy insisted and then he began to sob heart breakingly into Lisa's shoulder. "No, no, no, no," Lisa rocked him as if she were rocking a much younger child.

Finally, Tommy calmed down and Lisa gently lay him back. "Hurts." Tommy whispered. Lisa took his hand and guided it to a button on one of the machines next to the bed. "When you need it, push here it'll give you pain medicine."

Tommy nodded and then a frown crossed his face. He ran his hand up his stomach. David knew when his brother found the bag. He saw Tommy's face crumple again. "I swear, Tommy, it's going to be alright," Lisa spoke again.

Tommy met her gaze levelly in a tone of utter disbelief answered. "Is it really?" Before anyone could answer, he turned his head away from them and closed his eyes as if shutting out the world could shut out the truth.


	2. Two

Wednesday afternoon youth center.

Jason sat at a table idly doodling in the margins of his math book. It had been a long couple of days, mostly full of anxious waiting. His mother had insisted that he go to school to try and get back to normal. According to her that was the best thing he could do for Tommy. Jason didn't have the energy to argue so he'd gone.

Every class he an Tommy shared together had been a knife in Jason's heart. They empty chair that seemed to tell him this was his fault. The announcement that if anyone needed to talk the school psychiatrist was available had pissed Jason off. Why would any of the other students need help? They hadn't been raped. They hadn't had to watch their friends blood off in the shower. They hadn't had to wait for word that their friend had either pulled through or died.

"Jason?" Jason looked up and blinked. Eugene Skullovich stood looking pale. He also looked like he'd been crying.

"Skull, um hi." Jason wasn't sure what the other waited. While Skull had pretty much given up on being a bully they weren't really friends Jason really didn't have the energy to deal with anyone right now either. "Did you want something?"

"Do you know if Tommy is allowed visitors?" Skull asked tracing a pattern on the table with one finger.

Jason threw down his pencil. "No, he's not allowed the last I heard he wasn't even awake. Why on earth do you want to see him anyway? Let me guess you're curious and want to know what being raped is like. Is that it?"

Skull's head snapped up and the look in his eyes made Jason start. They were full of a rage and a sorrow Jason had never seen in him or in anyone else. "No, Jason. I don't want to ask Tommy about that. I don't fucking need to ask Tommy about that! I just..." He trailed off miserably.

Jason stood up and pulled one of the chairs out. Skull slumped into it looking down at his hands. Jason sat down across from him. "You were raped." It wasn't a question but Skull nodded anyway. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Skull shrugged, "No reason why you should have. It was my aunt. I was twelve when it started." He sighed heavily. "Years of therapy and I still can't talk about it with out feeling like my insides are being torn apart."

Jason tapped his fingers on the table, "Ok. Why exactly do you want to talk to Tommy, assuming he pulls through."

I hid what was happening for two years while my aunt sexually abused me. I was all alone, at least until Bulk walked in on it one day." Skull made a face. "I was all alone, Jason. Tommy needs to know that he's not alone. I was going to give him information about the support group I go to once a week. It helps having people who know what you've gone through."

"Yeah, look like I said I'm still waiting on word from my mom about Tommy's condition. As of this morning he'd been upgraded from critical to improving. When he can have visitors I'll let you know."

Angel group hospital Wednesday evening.

Tommy came awake slowly, a little surprised that he had actually fallen asleep again. After being asleep for two days he would have thought he didn't have any sleep left in him. He stared moodily up at the ceiling. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now. How was he supposed to live with everything that had happened.

He reached down gingerly and found what is questing fingers had found earlier. The bag attached to his abdomen like a large hungry leech. "No." Tommy was surprised at how weak his voice was. "No."

A hand took his pulling it gently away, Tommy let out a whimper and tugged trying to pull free. "I need to change it." The nurse who held his hand said gently. Tommy was relieved to see it was a woman, he wasn't sure he could handle a guy touching him right now.

Tommy put his hands over his face not wanting to watch. He wanted to pretend that nothing had happened. Maybe this was all a bad dream and he'd wake up in the morning safe in his own bed. He'd tell Jason about the nightmare on the way to school. The thought of Jason made him feel worse than ever. What was he going to say to the guy?

He lowered his hands when he felt water going inside of him. Tommy looked down and winced, It was worse than he'd thought. A brown liquid seemed to be draining out of him and onto a towel draped over his lower body. It didn't smell very good either. The opening was puckered and looked like a huge bee sting to his untrained eyes.

The nurse cleaned up the mess and attached a bag to the opening. "All done, wasn't to bad was it?"

Tommy just glared at her. "How the fuck would you know?"

She tucked the covers gently around him. "You go a head and cuss me out all you want, Mr. Oliver. I don't mind and its good for you to let the anger out."

"You..." Tommy began and then deflated, it was hard to stay angry at someone who responded to your rage by gently tucking you in. "I have a hole in my stomach its pretty fucking bad." He muttered closing his eyes.

Maybe he thought childishly Maybe if he pretended hard enough things would somehow go back to normal.

Wednesday evening youth center

David slid to a stop in side the youth center. He'd left Tommy when his brother had fallen asleep. He'd gone back to the reservation and the small house he shared with his dad to change clothes. He had meant to go to the youth center to tell Tommy's friends he was awake.

He'd laid down on his bed just for a minute and the next thing he knew the day was mostly gone. He'd hitched a ride into the town and gone straight to the youth center hoping to catch at least one of the rangers there.

He found all of them sitting around a table, not doing anything but sitting. They had smoothies in front of them, but no one was drinking. Billy had a salad which he was toying with rather than eating.

"David!" Billy spotted him first and waved him over to an empty seat. David realized with a pang that their were two empty seats at the table. One was for him, the other was obviously for Tommy. "We, um we were trying to decide if we should call Dr. Scott for news."

David sat down in the offered seat and yawned, despite sleeping for hours he was still exhausted. "Tommy woke up, I told Dr. Scott I wanted to be the one to give you the good news, but I went home first and I fell asleep." HE trailed off uncomfortably.

"How is he?" Jason asked softly.

David shrugged. "He kept saying that it didn't happen. He cried, like a child when he couldn't make that true. Also I think he's pretty mad right now."

The others looked down at their hands as if they cud find the answers to the problem there. It was Kat who broke the silence just as it was starting to become uncomfortable. "Does he know about the damage?"

"Not completely, He found the bag pretty quickly but I think he thinks its temporarily." David put an elbow on the table and leaned on his hand. "I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't."

Silence fell again, this time they didn't seem to be able to break the silence. Jason looked down at his hands. For a second they shimmered in his eyes, turning red as if they were covered with blood.

He clenched his hands together and put them under the table so that he didn't have to look at them anymore. "At least he's awake." Jason said finally. "Can I see him?"

"That you'll have to ask your mom." David said standing up. "I think I need to go home and get some more sleep. Its been a long few days."

Thursday morning Angel Grove Hospital.

Lisa pulled Tommy's hospital gown back down over his stomach. He had forced himself to look, the area was red and swollen. It looked horrible to him. "It looks worse than it actually is." Lisa told him.

"When will you remove it?" Tommy asked.

Lisa pulled one of the chairs up beside his bed. "Tommy, I'm going o tell you some things that you are not going to want to hear." Tommy turned away from her sullenly and Lisa reached over and gently took his face and turned it back towards her. "But you're going to have to. I'm not removing it, if I. remove it you'll die. This isn't a temporary thing, its permanent. The fact is your colon was ripped to shreds that's why their was so much bleeding."

Tommy shook his head as if trying to deny the truth. "But you have to, I can't live like this. Being fed through a tube and a hole in my stomach."

"The tube is temporary, it will take a few weeks for your body to heal and it will heal. When that happens we can start introducing solid food into your diet. A nurse is going to come in to talk to you about diet and exercising. Tommy, I know this is hard..."

That was when Tommy interrupted her. "You don't know. You don't know anything! You don't know you don't have a hole in you and you weren't raped and you. you just leave me alone! I hate you! you should have fixed it! your a doctor you were supposed to fix it!"

Lisa stood up. "Tommy, I'm going now I'll be back later after you've calmed down and we will talk some more."

After she left Tommy tried to roll over only to be stopped by all the wires still hooked to him. It wasn't fair, he couldn't even curl on his side in a ball like he usually slept.

Permanent, the word rang in his mind over and over. Permanent. Kyle Oliver the man he'd called his dad since he was two years old had done this. Kyle had in one act not only stolen Tommy's innocence and childhood, he'd stolen Tommy's future.

Despite Lisa's reassurance he was positive his normal life was over.

Lisa leaned against the wall outside of Tommy's room and wiped her eyes. She'd had patients yell at her before, even call her horrible names. There had even been a patient who had demanded a male surgeon.

None of tem had affected her quite as bad as Tommy yelling that he hated her and that she should have fixed it. She looked down at her hands, the image of Tommy open on her table in front of her mind's eyes.

She had tried, for over an hour she had tried to piece Tommy's colon back together. It had only been when his heart had stopped for the second time that she had made the heart wrenching decision to remove it. It had come down to Tommy spending the rest of his life with a Stoma and a colectomy bag or not having a life at all. "Fuck." She muttered wiping at her eyes where more tears had formed.

"Mom?" Lisa looked up to see Jason, who had been far too pale these last couple of days. "Can I see him?"

Lisa considered it for several moments, medically speaking Tommy was still in horrible condition. Ordinarily she would have limited him to family only. Mentally though he needed all the support he could get. Besides which Jason was closer to Tommy than David was. Lisa had overheard Jason and Tommy talking one day and it seemed Tommy and David were having trouble finding common ground.

All this passed through her mind as she considered Jason's question. It might do Jason some good to talk to Tommy as well. Lisa was worried about her only child. All of the zest for life seemed to have gone out of him. He was moody and pale, he also had spent an extraordinary amount of time showering the last few days.

"Fifteen minutes, you can see him for fifteen minutes. However if he starts drifting off to sleep let him the medicine makes him tired. If he pushes the morphine button he'll probably drift off a few minutes after." Lisa turned and opened the door. "Tommy you have company."

"Fuck off company!" Tommy called back.

Jason looked at his mother and she could clearly see the hurt in his eyes. "Don't take it personally, Jason. He's hurting and he's using his anger as away not to feel that hurt." Lisa gave him a hug. "Just talk to him alright. After that I'll drive you to school."

Jason stepped into the hospital room for a moment he didn't see his friend as Tommy was now. He saw him as he'd been in the room back at the Oliver's. Covered in welts, bruises and blood. Jason shook hid head to remove the image wiping his hands on his shirt. He wanted a shower badly, he didn't feel clean. hadn't felt clean since realizing he was covered in Tommy's blood.

It was the reason he'd come, Jason thought if he could see Tommy he wouldn't feel so dirty anymore. "Hey, bro."

"What do you want?" Tommy asked and Jason was surprised at the coldness. The last time he'd been that cold Tommy had been under a spell.

"Tommy I-" Jason began only to be interrupted.

"Everything I ever wanted is gone. My future, the rangers its all gone." Tommy no longer sounded cold, he sounded broken. Only once before had Jason heard Tommy like this, the day after Rita's spell had been broken when he had come to Jason's house for the first time.

Jason pulled up a chair next to the bed. "Zordon said there is no reason you can't come back to the team when you've fully recovered." Jason had gone to the power chamber that morning before coming to the hospital. Zordon, Alpha and Billy were working on something that would protect Tommy's new medical device.

"Fuck Zordon." Tommy suddenly exploded in rage. "I hate him!"

Jason glanced at the door, "Keep it down. secret identity remember?"

"Where was he Jase? Where was Zordon? I never refused the call. I never said no. Why didn't he do something?" Now Tommy was crying though he seemed barely aware of that fact. "I thought he cared, he doesn't care. He monitors everything in Angel grove, in the world and he couldn't be bothered to protect me."

"Tommy-" Jason started to speak only to have the other and continue his rant.

"And you, why did you have to ask me to kiss you in my back yard? Why didn't you just let me die when you found me? I don't want to live like this!"

Jason's jaw literally dropped open at this. He sputtered trying to think of something anything to say back to Tommy. There was nothing he could think of that would be adequate to express how he felt right at that

moment. Hurt and anger warred with in him, anger mostly at himself though.

Finally he walked to the door, pausing for a moment he looked at Tommy. "I'm sorry."

He walked out of the room holding himself together with sheer willpower. Jason found his mother talking to a nurse giving some complex orders that Jason didn't pretend to understand. She finished and looked over at him and sighed. "Oh come here kiddo." Jason buried his face in his mom's shoulder breathing in her scent.

"Tommy hates me." Jason's voice was muffled but understandable.

Lisa pushed him back until she could look him in the eyes. "Tommy is hurting, Kiddo. That hurt is mixed up with anger and shame and fear. He doesn't hate you, he hates himself so he's trying to push you away."

"So what do I do?" Jason asked. "Do I let him?"

"Just be patient and be there, he's going to need all of us." Lisa said softly. "Now school." Jason made a face. "Yeah, but you need to keep busy its good for you."

Angel grove high Thursday morning

First period was half over, which for the rangers was English with miss Appleby. It was also the only class they all had together. The entire class felt Tommy's absent, his empty seat in the last row was covered with hopes for his return. Ms. Appleby had left the desk alone, it seemed to make the class feel better to write their hopes on it.

It was impossible to sneak into her classroom due to the fact the door hinges made a loud creaking sound when the door was pulled open. The door gave its familiar creek now and MS Appleby spoke before she began turning from the board where she was writing the days homework on the board. "Tommy, nice of you to join us."

She finished the sentence at the same time she finished turning to face the person entering the room. At catching sight of Jason she realized with horror exactly what she had just said. She clapped her hands to her mouth dropping the chalk. Jason met her gaze briefly and then spun away and ran.

Most of the class froze with the same horror as the teacher. In the back row Farkus Bulkmeyer didn't he jumped up and went after Jason.

Jason ran blindly not caring where he was going just wanting to get out of there. He hit the door out of the school and kept going. He ran across the street and into the park not watching where he was going. Not caring just as long as he could get far away from that classroom and the sudden silence that had fallen when Ms. Appleby had said Tommy's name.

Since he wasn't watching where he was going, he finally tripped on a rock and went sprawling scrapping his hands on the ground. He sat slowly up and looked at the blood welling from small cuts. It held his gaze until a voice spoke. "You know the thing about rape is its not just the person who is raped who is hurt by it."

Jason looked up at Bulk who stood next to where Jason had fallen hands in his pockets. He didn't look down at the other teen but someplace off in the distance. Jason tore his gaze from his hand and looked up. "I'm fine."

"Sure, that's why your running through the park like a crazy person. I bet you've not been eating or sleeping either." Bulk shot back.

"Why do you care? Its not like we're friends." Jason retorted.

"Skull says you know about his aunt. What you don't know is I simply shut the door and walked off. I ran home and hid, because I couldn't process it. What I'd seen I just didn't want to believe it. I stopped being his friend, ignored him really. For a month I ignored him and he was still being abused."

Jason swallowed hard. "How did you stop it?"

"Skull's mother came to my house she wanted to know why I had stopped being her son's friend and I sort of just blurted it out. The thing is Jason that there are rape crisis centers and abuse hotlines, but there isn't one for those who witness the crime, or stumble on the aftermath."

Jason didn't respond for several minutes and when he did Bulk had to hunker down to hear him. "There was so much blood the sheets had gone from white to red. For a minute I thought he was dead. When I tried to help he kept begging me not to hurt him, he thought I was Kyle Oliver. When I ran home I was covered in blood."

Bulk put one hand on Jason's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Its alright not to be alright about it. But you should talk to someone, your parents or your friends maybe. Don't go at it alone Jason, it'll tear you apart."

Thursday afternoon Angel grove hospital

Tommy pushed the button on the morphine machine several times in a row. Stopping he glared at the thing, what was the point in having drugs at your beck and call if you couldn't get as much as you wanted. He hit the button again until a voice spoke. "Its programmed not to let you overdose on it you know."

A woman leaned in the doorway dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt chewing gum. "Who the fuck are you?" Tommy asked sullenly

"Well, I'm the person who's going to teach you about living with the bag." She pulled the gum out and wrapping it in paper dropped it in a waste basket. "I'm also the one who's going to get your ass out of that bed. My name is Andi."

Tommy snorted and turned away from her, which had become his standard way of dealing with things the last couple of days. turning away was easier than dealing with people. An exasperated sigh met his ear and the next thing he knew Andi had yanked the blanket and sheet he was under clean off the bed.

"Hey!" He shouted grabbing for the blanket. "Give it back!"

"I know you think that your lives over, but trust me its not." Andi slowly lifted her shirt just enough for him to see the bag on her abdomen. "Now we are going to take a walk to the end of the hall and back, got it?"

"I just had major surgery, I need my rest." Tommy tried getting the blanket from her a second time.

"What you need is to get moving, otherwise you are in danger of a blood clot." Andi's voice dropped becoming gentle. "I had my surgery when I was younger than you, I thought my life was over. Someone gave me some advice I'm going to pass on to you. You can spend the rest of your life being sorry for yourself or you can choose to live it the way you want to live despite the bag."

"I suppose I can do martial arts and everything like before." Tommy let a note of anger creep into his voice.

Andi laughed and Tommy turned away from her feeling hurt. "Tommy I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh. Most of my patients ask about dating, not sports. Yes you will be able to do everything you did before. I'll bring you some information later on doing martial arts. The one thing you have to remember is carefully. However, first your going to have to walk."

She walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later pushing a walker in front of her. Tommy looked at it horrified, then looked her full on. "I'm not getting out of bed! Give me back my bed coverings!"

Andi tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. "Tommy we can do this the easy way or the hard way The easy way involves you swinging your legs out and letting me help you walk a bit, or I can get an orderly to drag you out of bed."

"You wouldn't dare!" Tommy snarled.

"Try me." She pushed the walker next to the bed. "I'm a very stubborn person, Tommy."

"Go fuck yourself!" Tommy threw the pillow on his bed at her. She caught it easily and set it aside. Considering him for several minutes, she finally turned and left the room. Tommy sighed and settled back on the bed, glad that was over.

It wasn't as over as he thought it was. Andi returned less than five minutes later with an orderly. The orderly was a big guy over six feet tall. The white of his orderlies uniform was so clean it was nearly blinding. For all his size he moved with a silent grace. "Get him on his feet, Chris." Andi said firmly.

Tommy cringed away as the big man reached for him. When Chris's hands closed on Tommy's forearms a scream tore from his lips. He batted at the man's chest screaming again. He could feel hot breath on his neck and the sound of moaning was in his ears. Dimly he heard a crash.

Andi had dealt with her fair share of stubborn patients and she had thought Tommy was just another one of those. Tommy's reaction when Chris, who had helped her with a number of patients over the years, suggested otherwise. The scream was her first clue, it wasn't anger it was terror. The second was when Tommy in trying to get away rolled out of bed dragging sending equipment crashing to the floor.

The teen pressed himself into a corner of the room hands up to protect himself. Andi watched all of this, anger warring in her with sympathy. "Chris, never mind. go back to your other duties."

"I didn't mean to frighten him." Chris had never lost the South African accent of his youth and his voice was soft and pleasant.

"No, no this is my fault." Andi knelt down in front of the trembling teenager. "Tommy, I didn't know. I'm sorry. Come on now, we'll get you back in bed. You don't have to walk right now. Come on now, easy." Slowly with much coaxing Tommy lowered his arms and looked at her. With more coaxing she got him to take her hands and help him stand.

It was only a few steps to the bed and Tommy let himself be settled back in. Andi hit the button for the nurse. "Give him a sponge bath and check his IV." Andi told the other woman. "We had a bit of a scare."


	3. three

"Why wasn't I informed the Oliver case was an assault case?" Andi Johnson had never been one to mince words, and she spoke as soon as she entered the break room where Lisa was trying to enjoy a cup of coffee.

Lisa raised one eyebrow. Usually she liked Andi, but right now she could have slapped the younger woman. She'd known Andi for over a year. Andi was a nutrition expert and an expert on living with a stoma and a bag. She had a way about her that caused even the most reluctant patient to trust and work with her.

"You did check his chart, right?" Lisa asked, keeping her voice mild. "Where it said, 'physical trauma'?"

Lisa blew air out between her teeth and leaned against one wall. "'Physical trauma'? Yeah, I saw that, but I've had patients where the physical trauma was caused by them sticking stuff into themselves. Weapons usually. People are strange."

Lisa sighed, all her anger suddenly leaving her. "I take it that's what you thought with Tommy?"

Andi ran a hand through her red hair, making it stand straight up. "Rape cases have to be handled delicately. Since I didn't realize Tommy was a rape case, I treated him like an accident case. I'm going to have to do some major repair work to get him to trust me." She walked over and stared at the coffee machine for a moment before pouring herself a cup and sitting down. "I'm going to try again this evening to get him walking."

Thursday afternoon: Youth Center

Jason was sitting at a table when the other Rangers walked in after school. They joined him around the table.

"Have you been here all day?" Adam asked as he took the seat next to the Gold Ranger.

"After what happened in English, I just couldn't do it." Jason shrugged. "Also, I saw Tommy this morning."

"How is he doing?" Kat asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"David was right. Tommy's angry." Jason kept his voice even, not letting even the slightest bit of emotion cloud his words. Inside, though, he was a bundle of nerves. He had showered twice in the youth center's locker room since he'd left school that morning. He desperately wanted another one.

"At his father?" Rocky asked. "Well, that's to be expected."

Jason shook his head. "At Zordon and I. He said that Zordon should have done something. He's mad at me because I didn't just leave him to die. Mom said he's hurting and trying to push me away." He wiped his eyes with the back of one hand.

The other Rangers looked at each other, wearing four identical frowns. They were worried about Tommy naturally, but they were beginning to worry about Jason as well. He was far too pale and fidgety. They had also noticed how he kept wiping his hands on his shirt as if he was trying to wipe something off them.

"Are you alright?" Tanya asked delicately.

"I'm fine." Jason responded flatly.

"Jase..." Adam began only to have the larger teen whirl on him.

"I said that I'm fine, alright? Tommy's the one who's hurt, Not me!" Jason snapped, anger coloring his voice for the first time. Adam held up both of his hands in surrender, and Jason continued.

"Anyway, I have to go home. I have a ton of school work to make up since I skipped school."

The rest of the Rangers watched him walk out of the youth center. "He's losing it," Rocky stated flatly. The others said nothing. There wasn't really anything to say. They all agreed with Rocky, but they had no idea what to do about it or how to get Jason to even admit he was having a problem.

Thursday evening: Angel Grove Hospital

Tommy flipped through the channels on the television mounted across from his hospital bed. He wasn't really all that interested in watching anything, but it gave him something to do. He was pretty bored at the moment, which was strange since he'd been so terrified earlier. He still wasn't sure what had happened.

The moment the orderly had laid a hand on Tommy, it was like Tommy was back in his bedroom tied to his bed with the assault happening all over again. Tommy shuddered and pressed the remote buttons faster; he didn't want to think about that. He also didn't want to think about the bag on his abdomen or anything else.

"Tommy?" He looked up then to see the woman from earlier. Andi, she had said her name was. "We still need to have a conversation."

"I told you I'm not interested." Tommy went back to his channel surfing.

Andi pulled a chair up next to his bed and gently reached over and removed the remote from his hand, turning the television off. For a long while she just sat studying him. Tommy folded his arms and glared at her, still determined not to let her talk him into getting out of bed.

"Tommy, I'm sorry about earlier." Her voice was gentle. "The truth is I didn't do my homework on your case. If I had, I would have handled things differently."

Tommy couldn't help feeling a bit curious at this point. "How?"

"By doing what I'm going to do now." Andi reached over and took one of his hands. She ran her thumb over it slowly. Tommy shuddered and tried pulling away. Andi was surprisingly strong, though. "Easy. Just breathe in and out."

Tommy was gasping now, nearly hyperventilating. She simply would not let go. "Don't..." He heard the word, but barely registered that it was his own voice speaking.

"You're alright. You are safe. It's just you and I here. No one will hurt you." When she spoke again, it was slow and measured. "Tommy, the person who hurt you isn't here... and they can't hurt you anymore. I want you to breathe. Just... breathe." Andi continued rubbing his hand gently. Slowly, Tommy felt himself relaxing. The stroking was actually kind of soothing.

When he had fully relaxed, Andi finally let go of his hand and sat back. Tommy put his hand to his cheek and was surprised to feel a wetness there. He hadn't even been aware that he'd started crying. He lowered his hand and looked at it, then at Andi who raised an eyebrow at him. "Were you raped?" Tommy finally asked.

"No, my immune system destroyed my colon for me." Andi smiled crookedly.

"When I got sick," Andi continued, "I thought I'd done something bad to deserve all that pain and humiliation. I hadn't, though, any more than you did anything to deserve what happened. Tommy, I can help you get better. I can help you return to school and have a future. I can even help you do martial arts again, eventually. I can help you have the last laugh against your attacker. What I can't do is do it alone. You are going to have to help me to help you."

"The last laugh?" Tommy's voice cracked with emotion. "I'm never going to get the last laugh, He's a prominent lawyer and also my father. So guess what? He's going to get away with it."

Andi leaned forward; her green eyes were serious. She looked Tommy straight in the eyes. "You'll get the last laugh by not letting the attack define you. You decide how to live your life and you don't let him win. If you lay here in this bed until you get a blood clot and stroke out, he wins. Do you understand?"

Tommy thought about that for several minutes. He felt so lost and confused. So utterly alone. If someone had put a gun in his hand, he probably would have used it. Ever since he'd woken up that day in his room, he'd been reacting and not acting. It wasn't his usual style; Tommy usually did the opposite. He'd been trying to put a wall up between himself and the rest of the world.

He also couldn't imagine how anyone could live with an opening in their abdomen and a bag hanging from it. Old people, maybe, but a young person such as himself? How could they hope to have any sort of a normal life? Tommy supposed that he had to try, though. If only so he could someday look Kyle Oliver in the eyes and tell him that he hadn't won.

"What do I have to do?" Tommy's voice was a whisper and he wasn't sure Andi heard it. He didn't have the energy to raise his voice any louder though.

"Today, all that you have to do is walk with me to the end of the hall outside this room and back. Tomorrow we can go over your diet. We'll take this one step at a time. It's not so hard to walk, now is it?" She reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

Tommy wasn't sure it wasn't going to be so hard. It was so tempting just to give in, to give up. Tempting to just shut out the world so he'd never have to hurt again. He knew that wasn't a practical solution, but he was just so tired of it all. So tired of being forced to do things he didn't want to do. So tired of feeling helpless, again.

The problem was – and he couldn't tell Andi this – the problem was this wasn't technically the first time he'd been raped. Rita and Lord Zedd's mind controlling spells. Prince Gasket's brain drain device. All had been rapes just as much as what Kyle Oliver had done to him. The reason why Kyle's assault hurt worse was that Tommy had trusted him.

He swallowed hard, fighting back waves of anger and sadness. "What if I can't?"

"Tommy, I know you can," Andi said softly, giving his hand another gentle squeeze. "You just have to make the attempt."

Finally... slowly, Tommy nodded yes. He would try and make the attempt as she put it. Take a first step. Maybe if he did that, the second wouldn't be as hard. He slowly slid the covers down to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over until he sat on the edge. Now he thought of another problem. He pointed to the morphine machine. "What about that?"

"It's on wheels. I'll push it as we walk. Don't worry about it." She stood up. "Just hang on one second, though."

She slipped out of the room and returned with a walker. Tommy looked at it in disgust. "Do I have to use it?"

"You're still very weak, Tommy," Andi pointed out. Tommy made a face until she smiled at him. "The more you walk, the stronger you'll get. Once we get you back on solid food, you'll improve even faster. Soon you'll be back to your old self. Now take a hold and try for a firm grip. Then slowly pull yourself up."

Tommy slowly reached his hands out and took the handles of the walker. The rubber grips felt solid under his hands. He stood slowly and was surprised at how weak his legs were. He would have gone down despite the walker, but Andi was at his side holding him up. "Take a deep breath and relax."

After a moment, his legs didn't feel quite so wobbly. His stomach felt like it was on fire, however. Just standing up had started a pain that made him nauseous. "That hurts," he gasped out.

"I know and I'm sorry, but you still need to walk." Andi pulled the walker forward. Tommy had to take a step forward to keep from falling over. Slowly they inched their way out of the room and into the hall. Tommy was biting his lip, trying to keep from crying out. His whole abdomen felt like it was on fire and the pain was getting worse with every step.

"I can't..." he gasped out. Andi's response was to pull the walker forward again. Tommy felt tears threatening. For a while, he'd thought she was nice. She wasn't nice. This was cruel. "You bitch."

"Yes, Tommy, I'm a bitch... and you're a little crybaby." Andi rubbed her eyes with her hands. Anger gave Tommy strength and he managed six more steps. Every move made him feel like he was going to throw up or pass out. To his intense relief, Andi finally helped him turn back.

Tommy thought he'd faint before they finally made it all the way back to his hospital room. She helped him climb back into the bed. When Tommy was settled against the pillows, Andi pushed the button on the morphine machine. Tommy felt the coolness of the medicine enter his body. The pain receded. He felt the tension go out of him as it did. "You said it would be easy."

"Nothing worth having is ever easy, at first." Andi reached for his hand and Tommy yanked it out of her reach. He was so angry right now, he wanted to punch someone. "Tomorrow, we do this again."

"I can't. It hurts too much." Tommy was beginning to drift off, the medicine made him so tired.

"Yeah, you can." Andi had the last word on it as Tommy followed the meds down into a cool darkness.

Two weeks later

Monday Morning: Angel grove hospital.

Tommy took a step and glared at Andi, who stood passively in front of him. He hated her most days, but he had to admit she'd been right. It had never hurt as bad as it had that first day. He was walking on his own now and with very little pain. He had also been weaned off the morphine machine and was now on pain pills by mouth.

Even those were being tapered off. He was taking food by mouth as well. Not fully solid food yet; mostly he drank shakes. Protein shakes had never been his favorite thing to drink, but now he was having them three times a day and was kind of getting used to the taste.

He had not really fought Andi since that first day. She would simply wait until he wore himself out and then insist that he do some walking anyway. It was easier to just walk. It was less tiring than having a battle first. Tommy hated her most of the time. "Lunch time. Let's head back," she said.

Tommy followed her back to his room and got a shock: all his friends were there. "Mom said you could have visitors." Jason didn't look at Tommy as he spoke. "But we'll go, if you're not up for it."

Tommy didn't say anything. The truth was he wasn't sure he was up for it. He was tired and sweaty and to make matters worse the hole – no, the stoma. He had to think of it as the stoma - had been making noises all day. Andi and Lisa had both said that was a good sign, because it meant it was starting to work.

He said nothing until he was sitting on the bed. "I suppose I can handle company." Tommy slowly leaned back onto the pillows sighing gratefully. "It's lonely here."

Andi spoke from the doorway. "There's a rule on the number of visitors you can have, though." Tommy gave her a pleading look and she sighed rolling her eyes. "Try not to wear him out, okay? An infection could set him back months. I'm going to come back in twenty minutes and then you all have to go, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," the teens all said together. Andi slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence as everyone tried to figure out exactly what to say. It was broken when Tommy's stoma let out a farting sound. At that Kat said with a perfectly straight face, "Wow, Tommy, what did you have for breakfast?"

"Lobster thermidor," Tommy blurted out before he really thought about it and suddenly they were all laughing. It was a release of sorts. The tension just seemed to float out of the room with the laughter. Tommy studied his friends. "So what's going on in the real world?"

"You mean with the Rangers?" David poured a glass of water from the jug next to Tommy's bed and handed it to his brother. "Mondo sent down a monster, but we took care of it. Zordon and Alpha both send their love."

"Fuck Zordon," Tommy grumbled taking the water and sipping it. The others looked at each other. "I don't want to hear about Mondo's attack. I want to know about school and if my dad's in jail."

Adam answered, choosing each word carefully. "He was arrested the day of your attack. Your mom was, too. They got out on bail. Your mom left your dad. She's been telling anyone who will listen that she was under the impression he was just going to scare you a bit. She's staying in a hotel near the hospital. Your dad hired this hot shot defense attorney." The others looked at him and he shrugged. "I heard Mom talking about it, okay? They tried for a plea bargain, but your dad wouldn't accept it. He says someone else broke in after he left."

"And you believe him?" Tommy's voice had gone cold once again. He felt tears coming to his eyes. "You think he didn't do it?"

"We don't know what to believe," Rocky, unusually subdued, said softly. "I, for one, can't wrap my head around it all. Are you sure the trauma didn't make you... I don't know... confused?"

Tommy felt like he was going to be sick. If his own friends didn't believe him, what chance did he have that the authorities would? He looked at his hands, at the row of healing cuts from where he'd pressed his fingernails in until the bled. "No, Rocky. I'm not confused. I know exactly who attacked me."

"The mind can play tricks," the Blue Ranger didn't look at the others, but studied the carpet as if he could find the answers to the world's problems there. "And this is the guy who pulled you out of school to keep you from getting the flu? I can't... Why would he do something like this?"

Tommy suddenly understood. Rocky saw the world as black and white... good and evil. People were either good or evil; there was no halfway in the Latino teen's world. If someone flipped from good to evil, there had to be a reason... a spell or something. Rocky's worldview had suffered a resounding blow at the idea that someone he'd thought was good could do something bad.

"What do you want me to say?" Tommy shrugged. "That I understand what happened? That I know why? I don't." Now the tears did come, and he was helpless to stop them. "He said I had to be punished, that I was bad. He... I couldn't stop it. I tried so hard to stop it and I c-c-c-couldn't."

"Now look what you've done," David snapped at Rocky who turned red.

"I'm sorry." Rocky's voice was choked with emotion. "Tommy, I'm sorry."

"Maybe you're right, though. Maybe my mind played tricks." Tommy hiccupped out a sob as he spoke. "I think sometimes I must have actually liked it because..." He stopped there and buried his face in his hands. Jason sat down on the bed and despite Tommy's trying to pull away, hugged the other teen.

"Because what?" Jason's voice was so low that Tommy barely heard it.

"You know what," Tommy managed between shaking sobs.

"You need to say it," Jason murmured.

"I got an erection and... and when he was finished, he used his hand and I... oh god, I orgasmed. I came. I liked it. I must have," Tommy sobbed out the words.

"No." Billy had been standing back from the group, almost as if he was afraid to come closer to Tommy's side. Tommy looked at him now. "No, you didn't."

Tommy pulled away from Jason and looked over at the young genius. Billy looked back passively. Tommy saw the sorrow in his friend's eyes. "How do you know that?"

"Tommy, you can have an orgasm from physical stimuli without wanting to have one." The others looked at the young genius and Billy flung his hands in the air. "So I did some research in the wake of Tommy's rape. I wanted to know... I wanted to know if there was anything I should avoid saying or doing."

Tommy thought about it for a minute or two. The idea that he could have an orgasm without wanting one was new to him. He wished he had known it earlier. It was actually a weight off of his shoulders to know this. There was something else he needed to know, and Billy he thought could answer the question.

"Billy, why didn't Zordon do something? Why did he just leave me?"

Billy looked down at his feet shifting, uncomfortably. Like Rocky had a moment ago, he began to turn an interesting shade of red. The silence grew becoming nearly oppressive until Tanya spoke. "Billy, tell him."

"It's not Zordon you should be mad at." Billy moved closer then and made himself meet Tommy's gaze. "It's me. I messed up Tommy, I messed up big time, but I didn't think. I didn't know..."


	4. Four

Authors note:

Here out is, sorry it took so long. Thank you Katie Benoit for the beta read!

"Didn't know what?" Jason asked.

Billy only shook his head looking down at his feet. He was suddenly reluctant to go on, to tell them the truth about the alarms and the monitoring system. "Billy tell them." Tanya repeated and the young genius shook his head.

"Tell us what?" Adam asked his girlfriend who shrugged.

"Billy told me something in confidence the day after it happened. I would rather he tell you guys, I don't want to be the girl who blabs secrets. Besides it would do Billy good to tell it himself." Tanya spread her hands in front of her as she spoke.

Billy sighed heavily. "Tommy, I… God, you're going to hate me."

"How the fuck would I know if I'm going to hate you, if I don't even know what you are talking about?" Tommy said flatly. That made Billy's eyes fill up with tears. He had spent the last two weeks feeling guilty and it was beginning to tear his insides apart.

"After.. after Gasket kidnapped you, I set a program up to monitor us so that the computer would know where we were at all times. It is supposed to set off the alarms if any of us are in danger," Billy began. "I even put David in it, just in case you know."

"The alarm didn't go off?" David asked.

"No, that's just the thing it did. I fucked up. I put in protocols to give us privacy, so it wouldn't record us when we were bathing or having sex. The alarm went off but the privacy protocols kept it from showing anything." Billy swallowed hard. What he was going to say next really was going to make Tommy hate him.

"The thing is, Zordon called me in the middle of the night when the alarms went off to fix what appeared to be a malfunction. I worked on it for hours before it occurred to me to turn the privacy filters off."

Tommy shut his eyes for a moment and did some thinking, He'd been unconscious from the drugs for hours before he'd woken up tied to the bed. Hours if what Billy was being said the Power Chamber alarms had been trying to tell Zordon he was in danger.

"I think you should leave," Tommy finally said. Billy's face fell. Tommy opened his eyes. "I think you should all leave. This, it's just too much. I just I need… I need some time to think. And I'm tired. I'm so fucking tired."

The others looked at each other and David put one hand on Billy's shoulder. "It's alright. Come on, our twenty minutes were up fifteen minutes ago anyway."

Slowly Tommy's friends silently trooped out of the room. Tommy rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. He wanted to see Zordon to ask him if what Billy had said was the truth. He would have given anything not to be in the hospital bed. Anything at all.

Three days went by and Tommy was due to go home soon. That worried him more than anything else: going home. He wasn't sure where he was going to end up. Probably in a foster home somewhere with strangers. He wished again childishly that he could just have things back the way they were.

He looked up from the math homework one of his teachers had sent over when someone wrapped on the door to his hospital room. It wasn't Andi or Lisa or any of his friends. A guy in his early twenties dressed in a suit stood in the doorway. Tommy regarded him for a moment, before speaking. "Hello."

"Thomas Horace Oliver?" The man asked and Tommy frowned at him. He hated his middle name and never used it if he could help it. None of the other Rangers or David even knew what the initial H he sometimes used stood for. This stranger calling him by his full name was disconcerting.

"Yes," Tommy sad carefully.

"I'm Christoper Jensen. I'm your Guardian Ad Litem." The man strode into the room and held out one hand. Tommy didn't take it and after a moment Jensen dropped his hand. "I guess you have questions."

"Uh... yeah, um, what's a Guardian Ad Litem?" Tommy asked frowning. He knew it was some kind of legal thing, he just didn't know what kind of a legal thing.

"Well, since you're still a minor, you get a lawyer appointed by the court to represent you. I will represent you in family court and make your wishes known about who you want to live with." Jensen pulled a chair up beside the bed. "Now, several people have petitioned for guardianship.-"

Tommy interrupted him at this point. "I get to choose?"

Jensen looked at Tommy his blue eyes kind. "Not exactly. The judge will decide. You do get to make your wishes known though. The court will take what you want into consideration."

"Who petitioned?" Tommy asked.

Jensen pulled a list out and read it. "The Truehearts; actually, since David Trueheart is biologically related, they have a very good chance. The Scotts, the Hilliards, the Cranstons, the DeSantos, the Sloanes and the Parks."

Tommy blinked at the list of names. Every single one of his friends' parents had petitioned for guardianship. He hadn't thought any of them would want him.

He frowned thinking. "I don't want to switch schools. I'd love to live with Dave and Sam but I don't want to switch schools and their house is tiny. The Sloans were lost at sea for years, they and Tanya just got reunited. Mrs. DeSantos has eight kids to look after; she doesn't need another one and I'd scare the little ones."

Jensen nodded understandingly. "What about the others?"

"Um, the Hilliards would be awkward. I was... before I was... Kat." Tommy stammered and then felt himself go red with embarrassment. The truth was he had been thinking about asking Kat out before this all had happened.

"I understand," Jensen said as he made a note on the paper he held. "Say nothing about it. I can submit that you can't decide between the rest of them and then the judge will pick from those,"

"Not the Scotts." Tommy looked down at his hands which were twisting in his lap. "Jason isn't going to understand. He's my best friend. He isn't going to understand why I don't want to live with his family. I can't do it though. I can't live there."

"Why?" Jensen's face held no sympathy. Tommy was grateful for that. If he had seen sympathy in the lawyer's eyes he might have hit him. Tommy was tired of sympathy.

Tommy shrugged. "It's across the street." A single tear tracked its way down his cheek and Tommy reached up swiping it away angrily. He had thought he was done crying... done feeling like he was broken somehow. He needed to be strong. After all, he was going to be out in the world soon.

"The Cranstons or the Parks then. The doctor told me you get out of the hospital soon, so the shelter hearing will be scheduled the next day after that. You'll spend one night in a local youth home. The idea is to get you in foster care as soon as possible though." Jensen closed his briefcase as he spoke. "I need to go, but I will stay in touch."

_One week later…_

Tommy sat on a bench inside the Angel Grove courthouse, tapping one foot on the tiled floor and staring at the wall. In ten minutes, he was going to go in front of a judge who was going to decide where Tommy was going to live. Jensen stood nearby talking softly with the social worker assigned to the case.

The families who had petitioned for custody were all there as well. The adults at any rate. Jensen had contacted them and suggested they leave any one underage at home. The courtroom was going to be crowded as it was with so may petitioning for custody.

"Tommy?" The soft voice made Tommy glance up to see Nancy Oliver standing in front of him.

Tommy blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to be here. For a moment she wavered and he saw her holding a glass of juice out to him. A small sound escaped him, somewhere between a whimper and a sob. Jensen turned from the social worker and stepped to Tommy's side in an instant.

"If you have anything to say to my client, you need to go through me." Jensen's voice was cold with repressed anger. Tommy had told him some of the details of what had happened: Jensen knew Nancy had drugged her son.

Nancy frowned looking down, "I see. Your his Guardian then?"

"Yes."

"Tell him his dad's here. He's petitioned to have Tommy returned to his custody. I don't think he has a case, but I thought Tommy would like the warning. And tell him I will make sure his clothes get sent to his foster home. And tell him that I'm sorry."

She turned and walked away.

The group moved into the courtroom a few minutes later. The judge, the honorable Jack Carns, was a large black man who was going bald. What little hair he had left was at his temples and going gray. He studied Tommy for a moment, then looked around the room. "I have never had so many people petitioning for one child. Tommy, you're lucky to have so many who care about you."

Tommy glowered, "Lucky?"

"Perhaps that was a poor choice of words. I withdraw it," the judge smiled at the teen and Tommy felt himself relaxing a little. "I understand the child's father has petitioned for custody?"

"Social services doesn't recommend he be returned to his father pending the criminal case." The social worker said flatly. "We also recommend that Tommy's father not have visitation of any kind. His mother Nancy Oliver has asked for supervised visits, Social services is reluctant to allow them."

"And what are the child's wishes." Carns turned to Jensen.

"The Cranstons or the Parks." Jensen spoke. "Tommy has no desire to see either of his parents."

"I see." Carns shuffled some papers reading them carefully a small frown on his face.

"Your honor, may I speak?" The sound of Kyle Oliver's voice made Tommy freeze. He wanted to bolt, to run and hide. It was only Jensen's hand grabbing his arm that stopped him. Kyle was standing in the courtroom in his best suit, looking relaxed as if he couldn't imagine anyone denying him.

"I'll allow it." Carns folded his hands on top of the desk in front of him and waited.

"My son has suffered from a traumatic experience which has left him confused. The best way for him to recover and remember what really happened is for him to come home. He needs to realize that I am not the one who hurt him. I petition that it is in his best interest to return home."

"Is that all?" Carns said grimly.

"Yes." Kyle stepped back. He ignored the glares from the others. Tommy kept staring at the table in front of him. If they sent him to his father, they wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. Tommy would be dead before the day was out. He'd rather be dead than live with his father.

"When I read the details of this case, I was horrified. The damage done to the minor child will have far-reaching consequences that he is going to have to live with for the rest of his life. The best thing I can do for him is to put him in an environment where he has a chance to heal." Carns looked around the room. "Father's petition for full custody is denied, furthermore Kyle Oliver is to stay twenty feet away from the child and have no contact whatsoever. Mothers petition is approved and the court will grant her weekly supervised visits."

Tommy felt tears. He didn't want to visit his mother. He didn't want to see either of his parents again. Jensen shook his head though and Tommy stayed silent instead of protesting the ruling.

"Tommy, you equally favor the Cranstons and the Parks as possible guardians, is this correct?" Carns asked.

"Yes." Tommy croaked out. He swallowed and tried again. "Yes," he said more firmly.

"I am going to grant custody to the Parks, given the nature of this case. I feel it would be better for there to be a woman in the house." Carns picked his gavel up. "Good luck, Tommy. Case dismissed."

Jensen gave Tommy's shoulder a squeeze. "Supervised means you will never be alone with her," he murmured to the teen. "I'm sorry. I recommended she not be granted anything, but since we can't prove she knew about the attack before hand…" his voice trailed off.

"It's okay," Tommy said softly.

"This isn't over." The sound of his father's voice made Tommy cringe. "You will be home by the end of the month, young man."

"Mr. Oliver, if you do not step away from my client I WILL have you arrested!" Jensen stepped in between Tommy and his father.

Kyle spluttered for a moment, then stormed out of the court room.

"You ready to go?" Anna Park's gentle voice broke through the fog of fear that had enveloped Tommy at the sound of his father's voice.

Tommy looked up at her and nodded. He was more than ready to go. He was tired so tired. He looked down at his stomach and put a hand to the bag, feeling it gently as Andi had taught him. Luckily, he had a bit before he would need to change it. That meant he had time to head to his new home first.

"What about my stuff?"

"I'll get your clothes and other items tonight then bring them over to the Parks," Jensen said softly. He stood and gestured for Tommy to walk ahead of him. Anna Park and her husband Brandon fell into step behind the teen. Together they headed out of the courtroom.


	5. Five

five

Four days later

Adam came awake, brought out of a dream that had been nice. He hadn't been awoken by a noise or the sun shining in the window but by a smell. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and winkling his nose. He looked around the room to try and figure out what was causing the smell.

His eyes fell on the other bed in his room. Adam wasn't used to sharing a room and the original plan had been for Tommy to use the guest room down the hall. That first night, Tommy had woken six times screaming.

Adam had suggested they share a room and it seemed to help. Tommy's nightmares hadn't stopped entirely, but they had lessened and the night before he slept the entire night through. Adam had been feeling relieved until he had woken to this horrible smell.

Tommy was sitting up and looking around as well. He looked down at himself and his face crumpled. Adam followed his gaze and sighed. Tommy wasn't used to sleeping on his back and had rolled over and broken the bag. The contents of it were smeared on Tommy and the blankets.

"It's alright," Adam said swinging his legs out of bed. "Go get cleaned up."

The door opened just at that moment and Anna looked in. She wrinkled her nose and let out a heavy sigh. Tommy leaped out of bed and began to pull the bedding off, babbling. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I will clean it, I swear!"

Tommy stopped when Anna stepped forward and removed the blanket he was holding out of his hands. "Tommy, stop. Go take a shower and calm down. I have this." Tommy looked at her and she smiled at him. "I agreed to be your foster mom so that means it's my job to take care of it. Go on, now."

Slowly Tommy let the blanket go, walked into the attached bathroom then closed the door. Adam slid out of bed standing uncertainly beside it. Anna glanced at him and then spoke, "Take these down and throw them in the wash. And you're taking Tommy to the Youth Center today."

"You know he isn't going to want to go." Adam said flatly.

"You let me worry about that. Go start the laundry."

In the bathroom, Tommy heard everything. He groaned softly. He didn't want to go to the Youth Center and face everyone. He wasn't sure what people knew and he was sure everyone was talking about him. He started the shower and got cleaned off.

He attached a new bag, carefully adding in some powder to eliminate or at least reduce the smell. The next step was measuring to make sure the flange – the part that he stuck onto his stomach – was the right size. Attaching it was easy; he just held it to his stomach and let the warmth of his hand activate the adhesive.

The bag clipped onto it. Tommy could probably have gotten a device that was all in one piece, but he had trouble getting it to stick when he had practiced. When he finally got finished, he dressed in a pair of slacks and a loose red shirt. He stepped out of the bathroom and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Anna Park was dishing up pancakes and set the stack in front of the empty plates. She pulled a pitcher of orange juice out and hesitated. Tommy had reacted badly to being served orange juice. Adam took the pitcher from her hand, poured a cup, took a swallow, then put the cup in front of Tommy.

Tommy looked at the glass, frowning. He knew what Adam was trying to do: reassure Tommy that he could drink the juice. Taking a breath, he reached for it, then pulled back. He felt his heart pick up speed and his breath rasping loudly. "I can't. I just... I can't."

Adam shrugged, picked the glass up and downed the contents in two swallows. He set the glass back on the table and spoke. "At least you didn't throw the glass across the room. That's definitely an improvement!" He slid into his seat, grabbed some pancakes, then began to shovel pancakes into his mouth. At least the earlier scene hadn't put him off his breakfast.

Tommy watched him and then snickered. Adam looked up at his foster brother, a question in his dark eyes. "I always thought that Rocky had the biggest appetite."

Adam didn't answer, just went back to shoveling the pancakes in as fast as he could. There was a method to his madness, though. If he could eat and get out the door before Tommy was ready, then Tommy could stay home.

"The two of you are both going to the Youth Center today," Anna said. "I have some things I need to do and I don't need either of you underfoot." Anna looked pointedly at her son. Adam set his fork down and sighed. His mother never missed a beat. He was surprised that she had never figured out his biggest secret. Or maybe she had had just never said anything about it.

"I don't want to-" Tommy began, but fell silent at Anna's glance. She reached over the table and squeezed his hand briefly.

"You can't spend the rest of your life hiding from the world, Tommy." Anna kept her voice soft and gentle. "And the doctor said that the sooner you got back into a routine, the better. If you're worried about your bag, you can't see it under your shirt."

"It's not that." Tommy muttered pulling his hand back.

"Then explain it to me," Anna retorted.

Tommy ran a hand through his hair. For a moment, he didn't speak because he wasn't sure how to put words to what he feared out loud. Everyone kept saying not to give in, but it was so tempting just to curl up and shut the whole world out. "I don't want them staring at me. I know that everyone knows what happened. They're going to be staring and judging me."

Adam chimed in this time. "Well, there has been some talk about it, Tommy. Most people are simply trying to wrap their heads around it. Some of the kids said you probably deserved it. Carson Miles in particular. He said something to Bulk and Skull. I have no idea what he said, but Skull went mental on Carson."

Tommy frowned. Carson Miles was relatively new at AGH. But he was already well on his way to taking over being the top bully in the school, since Bulk had decided to join the junior police patrol. Carson had a mean streak that seemed rooted in racism, and had taken a particular liking to referring to Tommy as a half-breed. And that had been before the attack even happened.

"Hasn't Carson always said things like that?" Anna asked mildly.

"Unfortunately, yes," Tommy said sighing. He looked up at Anna, passively looking down at him. "I'm not going to be able to talk you into letting me stay today, am I..." It wasn't a question but rather a statement. Anna shook her head and Tommy sighed. "Fine, I'll go but I don't really want to."

Two hours later, Adam parked his car in front of the Youth Center and looked over at Tommy who sat silently in the passenger seat. He had been silent the entire ride over, and Adam figured he was probably fighting the urge to leap out of the car.

"You know... we could just stay in the car," Adam pointed out.

Tommy actually cracked a smile. "And exactly what would you say to your mom? You know she can see right through you." Tommy ran a hand through his hair. "She is right about one thing, though: I am going to have to face everyone sooner or later."

Slowly, Tommy opened the door, squared his shoulders, and headed for the entrance. It was surprising to him that everything looked the same. The same tables, the same exercise equipment, the same juice bar. Ernie, the man who ran the center, was there and unchanged as well.

He was handing Rocky a smoothie when he spotted Tommy. "Tommy!" Ernie hurried over with a smile, which suddenly turned into a frown when Tommy subconsciously took two quick steps back. Ernie glanced at Adam uncertainly.

"Tommy's a bit skittish, is all," Adam said shrugging. "Do me a favor though and don't touch him. All bets are off if you do."

Ernie nodded. Keeping his voice level, he asked. "You want your usual, Tommy?" He frowned. "Can you have your usual?"

"Yes, I'd like that." Tommy didn't look up, keeping his eyes on the floor. Ernie could see the kid's fear; everyone could. For Tommy's part, he was acutely aware that everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing.

He and Adam joined Rocky at a table. "Where are the others?" Adam asked and Rocky made a face.

"Detention, remember? The fight?"

"What fight?" Tommy asked and then scowled. Rocky and Adam both turned red looking like they had said too much. "Was it Carson? About me?" They didn't have to say anything because their faces spoke volumes. Tommy rolled his eyes. "I thought Skull gave him what for, at least that's what you told me, Adam."

"Yeah, except Jason took a swing at him as well. And I think Kat jumped on him to defend your honor. Tanya had jumped in to help her. That's not counting Bulk leaping in to defend Skull. And... well, it was lunchtime. And Mr Caplan was not impressed, so detention. This will make it fun if there's a monster attack." Rocky said sighing.

"Where are David and Billy?" Tommy asked frowning.

"David wont be here for a bit, that is if he comes at all. He doesn't really like teleporting. Plus, it's a bit of a ways to the reservation if he cant hitch a ride. Billy... well, he said he was working on a project for you," Rocky replied.

Rocky finished his smoothie and gestured towards the weights. "I'm going to work out. Later." He stood and walked away from the table. Tommy watched him go. Rocky was obviously uncomfortable around Tommy, which made Tommy want to slap him. What right did Rocky have to be uncomfortable?

"He is trying, okay?" Adam said softly. Tommy just shrugged, turning to take the blueberry smoothie Ernie held out to him. "I would love to sit here all day with you, but I have a student," Adam pointed to a twelve year old girl who stood waiting nearby. "I could cancel."

"No, I'm fine," Tommy responded.

Adam considered saying something, then thought better of it. He stood and took his student out onto the mat to work on some katas.

Tommy sat listening to the conversations going on around him and sipping at the smoothie. At least it didn't have the aftertaste that protein shakes did. Since everything was well-blended, he didn't have to be extra careful to make sure he chewed it thoroughly.

He was actually content, despite his fears about being out in public. Maybe he would join Rocky after all. Andi said he could start his exercise routine up again. He was pondering this when a voice spoke his name. "Tommy." He froze, not looking around at her even though she stood just behind him.

Not her, not her, not her! his mind screamed and Tommy felt himself tensing as his ex-girlfriend Kimberly Anne Hart spoke again. "I know you're mad at me, but I came all this way. Tommy, please!" He wanted to turn to face her but he couldn't. He hadn't ever really gotten over her and she was the last person he wanted to see him the way he was now.

"Hey." Another familiar voice the former black ranger Zack Taylor's voice held an impatient note in it.

Jason had just walked in as had Skull, but Rocky was nearby and so was Adam. Even Ernie spotted what was going to happen. Their warning shouts came too late and Zack's hand came down on Tommy's shoulder. Tommy quite simply exploded.

Tommy leapt to his feet and he sent his chair, smoothie, and Zack all flying. He bolted out the door before anyone had a chance to react. Seconds later, they all heard the sound of a car engine. Adam swore under his breath and ran out. He returned a minute later. "He took my car."

Zack stood and tried in vain to clean the smoothie off of his shirt. "Yeah, well he's getting my cleaning bill." Zack was not happy, a fact which came across in his tone of voice. "He had no right to do that, no right to ignore Kim and no right to-"

Jason interrupted him, "Hey, it's not Tommy's fault"

Zack glared at Jason. "I suppose it's mine then. I guess Tommy's so sensitive that he's afraid to be touched."

He would have said more, but Kim stopped his tirade simply by putting a hand on his arm. Zack sighed looking at her. She turned looking from Jason, to Adam, to Rocky then at Skull before turning back to Jason. "Something happened, didn't it? Something really bad happened to Tommy?" They all looked at each other and Jason made a face. "Tell me!"

A look of pain crossed Jason's face. He ran his hands down his shirt as if wiping them dry. "Tommy's dad raped him. He nearly died. He was in the hospital for over a month." Jason trailed off and Zack let out a groan

"and I grabbed his shoulder!" Zack rubbed his forehead. "I guess we need to try and find him."

"I can keep lookout here in case he comes back," Skull volunteered. "He might be having a flashback. They can be intense, its like you're back…" He swallowed and their was an audible click to it.

"Okay. That's okay. We get it," Jason spoke softly. "...and thanks."

The others left the Youth Center together and as soon as they were clear, Adam activated his communicator. "Zordon, we have a problem. Tommy got spooked and we need to find him."

"Teleport to the Power Chamber and we'll scan for him," Zordon's voice came back. The teens all vanished in flashes of colored streams. Inside the Youth Center, Skull rolled his eyes, they still thought their secret was a secret.

In the Power Chamber, Billy looked up from a console. "What the hell happened?" He demanded, then saw Zack and Kim. "Hey, when did you two get back?"

"This morning," Zack said, "Just in time to get body slammed by Tommy. I guess things haven't been too good around here lately?"

Billy sighed and tapped in a command on the computer as Zordon spoke. "Do not blame yourself, Zachary. There was no way for you to know."

"He's at the cliffs, where he met David," Billy spoke. "I'll pull the camera up in the view screen."

They all turned to look. Tommy was sitting on the hood of the car, his legs pulled up and tucked under his chin. He was shuddering from head to toe and whimpering softly. "Let me talk to him," Kim said. They all turned to look at her. "It's... I know what he's going through and I think I know how to help."

"How could you possibly..." Jason began and then froze as Kim just looked at him wide eyed and pale. He saw something in her eyes, something he had seen in Tommy's eyes recently. "Oh, my God, Kim. I am so so sorry."

"Yeah, everyone keeps saying that. It doesn't help." Kim said wiping away a tear. "Please, I want to help Tommy."

"We will teleport you." Billy said, "Kim, do you want a hug?"

Kim shook her head. "I am not big on hugs right now. Just teleport me, turn the camera off, and give us some privacy."

Tommy wasn't really sure what had happened. Zack had grabbed his shoulder and for a minute he wasn't in the Youth Center. He was struggling to break ropes that dug into his skin. There was a hot breath in his ear and the sound of moaning. It had happened before this sudden shift, back in the hospital.

He had found himself driving Adam's car with no real destination in mind. He ended up at the cliffs outside of town. For a minute, he had considered just driving the car off the edge and ending it all. In the end, though, he had parked the car and perched on the hood.

The sound of teleportation made him look up. When he saw who it was, he lowered his head again. Kim climbed up on the hood next to him, close but not touching. "Nice view," she said.

Tommy turned and looked at her. "What do you want? You broke my heart and then you show up here and…"

"I owe you an explanation. I was going to write a letter, but my therapist thought it better if I face you when I explained... so, uh, here I am." Kim didn't look at him and Tommy frowned, a therapist what on earth could she need a therapist for?

"Okay, so explain," was all Tommy said.

"I met Seth the first day in Florida. We became friends." Her speech was tentative, like she didn't really want to say the words. "I liked him... about as much as I ever liked Jason. He was... a friend, you know. At least... I thought we were friends. God knows, he never asked to be more. Although, if he had I… probably would have just told him I had a boyfriend."

Tommy felt his heart speeding up. His mind was racing with one continuous word repeating itself over and over: the word "No." He didn't want to hear the rest of it. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say. Understanding that her speech was not solely for Tommy's benefit. Kim needed to say this for herself.

Kim continued in a soft voice that belied her anger and the terror of the experience. "The day I wrote the letter, Seth and I were practicing late. Well, I was practicing and he was spotting me. There was... no one around and when I fell, he caught me... but then he... didn't... put me down. I kept saying 'let go of me' and... he finally put me down... but started to…. to… I fought him... and tried to scream but he put his hand over my mouth." She broke down into sobs and Tommy put an arm around her. Kim tensed at first but buried her face in his shoulder after a moment.

Tommy just held her, gently rubbing her back. After a few minutes, she calmed down enough to go on. "One of the janitors walked in and pulled him off of me. But it was too late, he robbed me of my virginity. I was... you know... saving it for when I got married... or at least until I was ready. But I wasn't his to just take. During the intake at the hospital and talking to the cops, all I could think was, 'I was supposed to come here and visit you and you were going to want to cuddle and kiss.' I couldn't face you so I wrote the letter."

"It's alright," Tommy said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I thought my life was over, but it's not. Some days, it's still bad and…" She stopped as Tommy began to laugh. She pulled back hurt and confused. "Are you seriously laughing about this?"

"It's just funny that you think you have it so bad, but unless you talk about it, who will know?" Tommy managed between bouts of giggling and just as suddenly as his laughing had started, he began crying. "You don't have to worry about people knowing. You don't have to be careful about what you eat or worry that you will roll over in your sleep and wake up covered in shit." Tommy yanked his shirt up over his head and sat bare-chested in front of her. "Who is even going to want me now? Tell me that! Who is going to want me once they find out about this?" he said while pointing at the bag.

Kim didn't really think about what she did next. She just did it. She abruptly kissed him. For a moment, Tommy went stiff, then slowly his hands came up and tangled themselves in her hair. Their tongues twisted together until finally Tommy pulled back breathless. They sat together, their foreheads touching and Kim said softly. "Are you scared?"

"All the time," Tommy whispered back.

"Me, too. Maybe we can be scared together?" Kim suggested rubbing his cheek. She pressed her lips back to his and slowly slid a hand up his chest. Gently she stroked one of his nipples. Tommy leaned into the caress.

He slid one hand on the outside of her shirt to cup a breast. Kim leaned back and reaching down pulled her shirt up over her head. She was wearing a white cotton bra and Tommy thought it looked good on her. She put her hand on his stomach just under the bag.."Kiss me," she said breathlessly.

Tommy felt his hands tangle in her hair as his lips found hers. His tongue pressed against her lips and Kim opened her mouth slightly. Soon they were devouring each others mouths in a need that couldn't be denied. Kim tangled one hand in Tommy's hair and slid the other down his stomach and into his pants.

Her fingers brushed his cock and Tommy yanked back a small cry coming from him. Kim pulled back immediately. Tommy scrambled back and was only saved by falling off the hood of the car because Kim grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Easy, its just me, Tommy."

Tommy gasped for a moment. "I-" Tommy said and then burst into tears. Kim slid off the car and took his hand. She looked in the car and smiled. Adam still kept a blanket in the back seat. Pulling it out, she spread it on the ground and sat pulling Tommy down with her.

She put an arm around his shoulders and with a gentle pressure, got him to rest his head on her shoulder. "My therapist says crying is normal. So you cry if you need to, Tommy."

Tommy cried for a while and Kim just held him gently. Soon a need rose in him that he couldn't have defined if he wanted to. He reached around and found the clasp to her bra. With a bit of fumbling, he got it off. He cupped her left breast and looked at her questioningly. Kim nodded and Tommy stroked her gently.

Once again, she slid one hand down his stomach and into his pants. Once again, her fingers brushed his cock. This time when Tommy went to pull back, she spoke. "He touched you there didn't he?"

"Yes! God, it's so stupid! I know you're not going to hurt me, but I'm scared."

She nodded, her fingers moving gently, exploring. Tommy slowly relaxed. What she was doing felt good. He reached down and unzipped his pants slowly. Kim pulled back and Tommy stood pushing his pants and underwear all the way down.

Kim swallowed hard looking at him. She reached for the zipper on the pants she wore. It was then that Tommy realized the entire time they had dated, Kim hardly ever wore pants. She wore shorts maybe, but mostly skirts and dresses. She slowly removed her clothes, not looking at him.

Tommy made no move to touch her. After a minute, she looked at him. Tommy said, "Let's just take it slow. Let's go as far as we both want to." His voice was barely above a whisper. Kim nodded slowly and they reached for each other hands, their lips touching and exploring.

Tommy slid a hand up her thigh and stroked her mound. Parting her folds he slid a finger inside her. He had never gone this far with her. She was moist and tight and he felt his cock jump at the idea of being inside her. He had never had sex before being raped.

"No…." Kim cried out and Tommy pulled back. She let out a sob and he put an arm around her, letting her cry into his shoulder. He rubbed her back, gently soothing her as best he could. Kim finally wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's not a big deal. Let's stop. Maybe we're just not ready." When Tommy reached for his pants, Kim stopped him with a hand on one arm and he looked at her confused.

"I don't wanna stop. I mean, I'm scared but…" she shrugged and Tommy regarded her for several moments.

"Did this Seth use his mouth? On your pussy?" Kim shook her head and Tommy nodded slowly. "Yeah, Dad didn't give me a blow job. Maybe we should do that you know, a 69? It's something that they didn't do to us, so it would be a first and our choice. We... uh... need to be careful of the bag though."

"If we lay on our sides, maybe..?" Kim said, frowning slightly. She reached for his pants and pulled the belt out of the loops. She looked at Tommy, her head cocked to one side thinking hard. Finally, she reached and fastened the belt around him and over the bag, fastening it carefully.

Tommy realized immediately what she had done. The belt held the bag in place, preventing it from becoming dislodged. "Good idea."

Slowly, they laid down together side by side, facing each other. Tommy touched her face and once again they kissed. When they pulled back, h e shifted so his cock was at her mouth, her pussy by his. Slowly he licked her folds and felt a warm wetness envelope him at the exact same time.

They touched and tasted licked and sucked, losing themselves in the pleasure. It was this pleasure that made all their fears vanish. This was right. This was good. This was nothing like anything they had ever known. Tommy pulled back and whispered, "Kim, I..."

She shifted then, pushing him onto his back. She climbed over him, straddling him. Kim knew what he needed, what they both needed. A shudder of fear ran through her, but she shoved it back. She took him in one hand and guided him inside even as she lowered herself.

Their bodies seemed to know what to do and they eventually found a rhythm. Tommy couldn't believe how tight and wet she was. Kim couldn't believe how full she felt,and the pleasure rose in both of them. Kim orgasmed, first tilting her head back and moaning. The spasms of her inner muscles as she came drove Tommy over the edge and he came hard gasping her name over and over.

Kim had enough presence of mind to roll and to collapse beside him rather than on him. They lay gasping, coming down from the pleasure. Iit was Tommy who eventually broke the silence. "What the fuck did we just do?"

"I think 'fuck' is the key word there." She sat up and reached for her clothes, then looked at him sighed. "Talk to me."

"I shouldn't have done that. I mean, you tell me you were raped and my response is to fuck you and we didn't use protection, so with my luck you're pregnant." Tommy says all this in one breath, not pausing at all.

"Tommy, nothing happened that we both didn't want to happen. I would have stopped if you said to and I know you would have stopped if I said so. Did you want to do this?" Slowly, Tommy nodded and Kim went on. "As to my being pregnant, I'm on the pill. I have been since I was thirteen to regulate my period. Wwhile there is a chance, it's tiny and maybe we shouldn't borrow trouble."

They dressed then and walked back to the car with the blanket. "Do you want to... um... go out again?" Tommy asked.

"Do you?" she asked him back.

"Kim, I don't know. I had planned to ask Kat out and then I made the mistake of telling Jason he could kiss me and my dad he… I was going to ask her out, but now I'm so confused."

Kim gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to Paris to live with my mom. I don't want another long-distance boyfriend because it was too hard the first time. Can we just be friends?"

"Sure." He climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.

"And you should ask Kat out. She looks at you like you used to look at me."


	6. Six

As the car pulled away, a figure stood up and moved from behind a boulder. Kat stared after the moving car for several minutes. She had come to the cliffs to try and get some clarity. It had been pure chance she had sat down behind the boulder just as Tommy had driven up. She had wanted to go to him but was unsure of how to approach him. When Kim had shown up and began speaking, it had taken everything she had not to run out and hug the other girl. But she was glad she stayed hidden. Even if it had meant having a ringside seat for Kim and Tommy's fucking each other. Kat had an idea that they had needed that intimacy, though. So she stayed hidden, shoving her fist into her mouth so they wouldn't hear her crying. The conversation after made the Australian teen smile from ear to ear. Now she shouted to the sky, "He likes me!" - David Trueheart opened the door to his house and looked at Jason, who stood uncertainly on the doorstep. "Jason?" He frowned. "Is my brother okay?" "I think so. He, uh... had a scare, but an old friend is talking to him," Jason shifted. "Could I come in?" David frowned. Jason didn't look good. He was pale and shaking, but also looked as if he had been crying. He wiped his hands down his shirt as David watched him. -I wonder if he even realizes he's doing it- "Sure. Dad isn't here, but he won't mind if I have company." David held the door open and Jason stepped inside. "You alright?" Jason did something David didn't expect: in one movement, he had pushed David against the wall and was kissing him hard. David overcame his shock and decided to roll with it. He pulled Jason closer and kissed him back. When Jason started undoing David's pants, David put his hands over Jason's and said a single word. "No" "I thought you liked me, I thought..." Jason turned as red as David's shirt. "I'm sorry, I'll go now." David caught Jason's arm as the other turned away. He pulled the Gold Ranger against him so Jason's back was pressed into his chest. "I love you, Jason. I've loved you since Tommy introduced us. But it's because of that I am saying no. I don't want to fuck you. I want to make love to you and have you make love to me. The truth is that... you're in no condition to make love to anyone. I won't let you use me to try and make yourself feel better." "I just want everything to be alright. I want ten fucking minutes where I don't feel anything!" Jason shuddered in David's arms. For a long while, they stood like that, with David holding Jason against him while the other sobbed helplessly. Finally David let the other go. "Jase? I'm sorry, but I can't give you what you want right now." David felt like crying himself. Jason shook his head. "'S not your fault." He stood for a moment as if uncertain and then whispered so low David almost missed it. "I need a shower." Before David could respond, Jason hit his communicator teleporting out. - Kim took Tommy back to the Youth Center at his request. They joined the others sitting at a couple of tables. Kat had come in ten minutes after Tommy and Kim. She had sat down next to Tommy and had tentatively taken his hand. Tommy had flinched and then squeezed her hand, half-smiling gently. The talk flowed around them about school and events in the town. None of it felt forced or awkward despite everything that had happened recently. Only David and Jason were absent. Tommy knew David might not show, but where was the Gold Ranger? "Where's Jase?" he asked. interrupting Rocky who was telling Zack and Kim about something one of his many siblings had done. "He said he needed to do something," Rocky said shrugging. "Tommy, listen. About Jason-" Rocky stopped and a frown crossed his face as he looked over Tommy's shoulder. Tommy turned and followed Rocky's gaze. David was walking towards them and looked like he had been crying. David pulled up a chair next to Kim. Tommy introduced him to Zack and Kim and then David said without preamble, "We have a problem." Tommy blinked, not sure how to take that statement. It was, after all, the understatement of the year. Tommy had personally been having a problem for months now. Before he could say anything, Billy spoke up questioning, "Jason?" "Jason," David said and sighed. "I didn't realize how bad he was until he came to my house a couple of hours ago." Tommy looked around at his friends who, with the exception of Kim and Zack, looked just as confused as Tommy felt. They all wore the same looks of concern. "What's wrong with Jason?" Tommy asked, unable to keep the confusion and worry out of his voice. "Well, he... blames himself... for what happened." Billy began slowly. "I think it's more than that." David looked at Tommy. "Little brother, have you talked to Jason about what happened that day?" "No," Tommy muttered. "Look, Dave, I don't really want to talk abut what happened with the psychiatrist that my foster parents keep dragging me to. Much less discuss it with any of you all." David looked down at the table. "The thing of it is Tommy... you weren't the only one in that room." "Well, of course, I wasn't!" Tommy snapped suddenly angry at his brother. "Fuck, Dave! Do you think I raped myself?" "Little brother," the anguish in David's voice was unmistakable. "I meant after your dad left you there." Tommy went pale. He remembered the events after the attack only dimly. Someone had found him and untied him. Someone had tried to stop the bleeding. Dimly, he heard his own voice asking them to get help... No, asking Jason to get help. "What's wrong with Jason?" This time he put more force behind the word. "He was covered in blood," Adam said flatly. "I heard his parents and mine talking the day before the custody hearing. Jason was covered in blood." "Jason keeps trying to wash that blood off, because part of him thinks he's still covered in it." David sighed again. "He wanted me to fuck him today. He about went to pieces when I told him I couldn't do it. I love him too much to let him do something he doesn't really want to do. HE thinks he wants to, but he doesn't." Tommy leapt to his feet and turned to his foster brother "Adam, I need the car again for a bit. I will be back." Without hesitation, Adam silently handed the car keys over. - Tommy pulled Adam's car in front of the Scotts' house. For a moment, Tommy sat there just staring across the street at the house he had lived in since moving to Angel Grove. The house his world had been shattered in. He stared at the man mowing the lawn. His father, Kyle Oliver, out on bail. Tommy fought down a feeling of nausea. However he felt about seeing Kyle, it was Jason who mattered. Jason who needed him. Tommy wouldn't have even survived if not for Jason and despite having wanted to die when he had first began recovering, Tommy now wanted to live. He climbed out of the car and hurried up the front steps into Jason's house. Tommy could hear the shower running upstairs. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do when Mark Scott spoke from behind him. "Tommy? What's the matter?" Tommy turned to face the man. "Nothing, I hope," Tommy blurted and then turned and ran up the stairs. Tommy thought the bathroom door would be locked, but instead it was actually open an inch. He yanked it open the rest of the way. He yanked the shower curtain back and felt the urge to be sick again. Jason was in the shower, naked and bleeding. Tommy reached in, slapping at the control to turn the shower off, wincing. The water was hot enough to burn. He managed to shut it off finally, but not before a red welt appeared on his upper arm from the heat. Jason looked at him dully, still using the sponge he held to wash. Tommy realized with something akin to horror that his friend wasn't holding a sponge. It was a steel wool scrubber like the one his mom used on pans. Jason had scrubbed his skin off in several places, without even seeming to feel it. Tommy yanked it out of the other teen's hand. "Jase? Can you hear me?" Jason focused on him. "T-t-Tommy?" he stammered. "I can't... I tried to wash it off but it won't come off. Help me get it off!" Tommy pulled Jason against him and held him. "It's okay, Jase. It's going to be okay." Tommy looked back at Mark Scott who stood in the doorway, a hand to his mouth and his eyes wide with shock and horror. Tommy mouthed the word ambulance and the older man nodded then vanished. Tommy held Jason against him, rocking the other slowly. At first, Jason tried pulling away but then he sagged against his best friend and let out a wail. Not a sob or a cry, but the wail of a frightened animal. Tommy felt Jason's arms wrap around him desperately. "It's alright, Jason, I'm here," Tommy murmured. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me." Tommy had no idea later how long he held his friend in his arms. He didn't let go until the paramedics came, and even then he held Jason's hand until his friend was loaded into the ambulance. 


	7. seven

Tommy shut the door to his locker with a heavy sigh. He realized the book he needed was sitting on the desk in his room at the Parks house. The room he had finally worked up the courage to sleep in.

Time had flown by since the day he had found his best friend in the shower bathing with a scrubbing sponge. A month had gone by and for Tommy, things were getting back to normal.

The only thing he had to get through was the trial. He had returned to school and was going to take back his place as leader of the Power Rangers when the trial was over. Zordon said he could.

Tommy had not seen Zordon however. The message had come through Billy. Tommy knew he was going to have to go to the Power Chamber soon and talk to the ancient sage.

"Hey, half-breed!" the sound of Carson Miles's voice made Tommy groan. He was already running late and while the teachers had been giving him a lot of leeway, Tommy knew it wasn't going to last.

"Go away, Carson," Tommy turned and glared at the teen.

Carson was taller than Tommy by nearly three inches and had the body of a linebacker. Although Tommy had played football and was no slouch himself in fitness, Carson outweighed Tommy by a good twenty pounds.

It wouldn't have been that much, but Tommy had lost weight while recovering and hadn't gotten it all back yet. Carson stopped in front of Tommy and looked down at him.

"I can't believe they let the fucking faggot half-breed back in school." Carson reached up and gave Tommy a shove. Tommy shoved him back and tried to walk away. He wasn't sure he could win a fight right now.

To Tommy's surprise, Carson stepped aside. Tommy pushed past him and headed into the nearest restroom. He thought he was going to be sick. Anyone touching him still freaked him out a bit.

The door to the bathroom opened and arms wrapped around him. Tommy froze, unable to make a sound through his suddenly tightening throat. Carson spoke in his ear, "You like this don't you, half-breed?"

He ran a hand under Tommy's shirt and Tommy exploded. Clawing and bucking he tore loose from the other boy. "Stay the fuck away from me!" Tommy managed to stammer out.

"Don't worry, half-breed. I wouldn't soil myself fucking you. But I am gonna teach you what happens to people like you." Carson launched himself at Tommy.

Tommy blocked the attack easily at first, but Carson was a very skilled fighter. More skilled than Tommy gave him credit for. When a lucky punch got Tommy in the stoma, the pain drove him to his knees.

Carson dragged Tommy to his feet by his hair and pulled a nylon cord from his pocket. "Gonna teach you a lesson and it's gonna stick." Tommy twisted and then suddenly the cord was wrapped around his neck and pulled tight.

Tommy couldn't get the larger boy off of him and he was rapidly losing ground. He was going under and his vision was turning red when the pressure was suddenly gone. He sank to his knees and managed to claw the cord away.

"You, young man, are EXPELLED!" Victor Caplan was roaring somewhere in the distance. Someone else was putting a hand to Tommy's throat. Tommy tried batting it away.

"It's Skull, Tommy. Hey, it's Skull." The voice cut through his panic and Tommy watched as Carson was dragged away.

–

Two days later, Tommy walked slowly to the stand of the courtroom. His voice was a bit hoarse after the recent attempt on his life. He was determined to see both of his attackers behind bars. That was the reason why he was here in this courtroom testifying.

The prosecutor led him slowly through the day of the rape. Tommy recounted each detail of it, feeling like he was reliving it. Finally, the questions were handed over to the defense. Jackson Simons - his father's attorney - approached the teen sitting in the witness box. "Tommy, you experienced a lot of trauma. Can you say for certain that your memory isn't faulty?"

"I can say with 100% certainty who raped me," Tommy responded coldly.

"Your father... he never hit you did he?"

"No."

"And in fact, he never even let you go to school if there was any flu or other such viruses going around, is that right?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Tommy retorted.

"Now, why would he treat you like you were made of glass and then assault you?" Simons asked.

"Because he did," Tommy said flatly.

The questioning went on, as Simons coldly tried to tear apart Tommy's testimony. Tommy staunchly stuck to it until a question he wasn't expecting was asked. "Tommy, why do you want to hurt your family?"

"What?" Tommy blurted. "My dad's the one who hurt the family."

"Isn't it true you always thought your parents didn't truly love you because you were adopted?"

Tommy had no idea where the man was getting this from. Yeah, he had gone through a period of questioning, but that had been years ago. He couldn't help breaking down into tears. "Kyle raped me. He did. He had my mother drug me and rape me. Does that sound like someone who loves their kid?" Tommy was yelling now and on his feet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see Tommy Oliver is a disturbed young man who needs our sympathy," Simons was saying. Tommy sank down into the witness stand. He'd just blown it.

Tommy locked eyes with Kyle for just a moment and watched as his father went slowly white. There was something in Kyle's eyes that made Tommy almost feel sorry for the man.

"Your honor?" Kyle stood up. "I want to change my plea to guilty." Kyle's flat statement made everyone fall silent.

The judge was the one who recovered first. "May I ask why the change of heart?"

"I don't want to put Tommy through this anymore." Kyle was still looking at Tommy. "I won't hurt him any more than I already have. I raped him. I raped him because someone did it to me... to try to cure me, like how I tried to cure him. Tommy, please don't make the same mistakes that me and your grandfather did. Get the help I never got."

The judge had to rap for order for a long time given the pandemonium that erupted after this.

the next day.

Tommy teleported into the Power Chamber and was relieved to find it looked just the same. He looked up at the ancient sage floating in his tube. "I have been so mad at you," Tommy said softly

"I know," Zordon said just as softly.

"I'm not so angry anymore." Tommy managed a sad smile. "I want to come back. Billy said I can, but how?"

Alpha put a small disk in Tommy's hand. "It's a small force-field that's dependent on the Morphin Grid for power. It can be activated with a thought. This should protect you in a fight."

Tommy gave the robot a hug. He was coming back to the Power Rangers, coming back into his own. He had no more court dates to worry about. Carson had pled guilty to attempted murder. Whatever it was that happened next, Tommy knew he could face it.

He teleported to the park and sat next to Jason under a tree. The Gold Ranger too was getting better and the two of them had the support of some good friends to see them through.

The end


End file.
